


Memories Maketh the Man

by maryperk



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Rape in a past life, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 17:31:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 28
Words: 50,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryperk/pseuds/maryperk
Summary: During the Halloween spell during Season 2, Spike and Buffy discover that Buffy Summers is the reincarnation of Lizzie Addams, the younger stepsister of Cecily Underwood, the woman who rejected William and sent him into the arms of Drusilla.





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue

1880, PREVAMPED WILLIAM

William stalked around the perimeter of the ballroom dance floor, weaving in and out among the people in a fashion so unlike his normal self. A young lady near the center of the room caught the young man's attention. No matter what direction he moved, her face remained hidden from him. William moved towards the center of the room slowly. People who tried to speak to him impeded his path, and he could hear their voices as if they were standing far away. He pushed his way through the crowd of people until he was close enough to lay his hand on the girl's shoulder.

Lizzie smiled at William when she turned. He was so handsome dressed all in black. The long, black overcoat was inappropriate for the ball, but somehow William seemed to carry it off well. Lizzie brazenly looked up and down William's body. She blushed when she realized how formfitting his black pants were, and she hoped her mother didn't catch her staring at the bulge in his pants.

"Elizabeth Addams, may I have this dance, luv?" William held his hand out. He was pleased when she slipped her warm little hand into his. William scandalized the other dancers by pulling Lizzie closer to his body than was deemed proper by society.

"William, we shouldn't dance so closely," Lizzie whispered. She tried to sound scandalized, but the words came out sounding more aroused than anything else. She tightened her grip on William when she suddenly became quite dizzy by their nearness to each other.

William curled his tongue behind his teeth, and he watched the goddess he was dancing with become pliant in his arms. He felt his cock harden in his pants when she opened her glittering green eyes to stare up into his face. He could smell her arousal, and he wondered how that was even possible. William brought his lips down to her jawline where he nibbled her satiny skin.

"I love you, William," Lizzie whispered. "I always have." She tightened her grip on his shoulders, and she sighed when he pulled her even closer. Lizzie forgot about everyone in the room in that instant. No one mattered to her except the delicious man holding her close.

William wretched his mouth away from Lizzie's face when he felt her skin turn from burning hot to ice cold in a matter of seconds. He looked down at the beautiful young woman, only to find cold blue skin instead of the warm rosy tones he was expecting. "Lizzie!" He screamed in anguish.

William sat up in bed, and he gasped for breath. His nightclothes and blankets were twisted around his knees. _What a terrible dream,_ the young man thought. _The inappropriate clothing, and touching. I would never touch Lizzie like that. She's an innocent child, only 14._ William looked down at the bulge tenting his night clothes, and berated himself, _I must be mentally deranged having indecent thoughts from a dream about the death of such a sweet child._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
117 YEARS LATER, SPIKE DREAMS AFTER THE FIGHT WITH THE SLAYER AT HER SCHOOL

Spike stalked around the perimeter of the Bronze dance floor. The girl holding court in the middle of the dance floor seemed vaguely familiar to the vampire, but he couldn't place where he'd seen her before. He moved towards her while he knocked people out of his way, unmindful if he hurt them or not. He laid his hand on the girl's shoulder, and he gasped when she turned to face him.

Lizzie smiled at Spike when she turned. He looked so handsome dressed all in black. For some reason his white blond hair should have looked out of place, but it really didn't. Lizzie ignored her whispering friends while she looked Spike up and down. _Damn he's a hottie in tight black clothes._

"Elizabeth, may I have this dance?" Spike asked once he got over his surprise. He held his hand out for Lizzie to take. He smirked at her when she placed her tiny hand in his. Spike pulled her into his arms, and they slowly danced away from her surprised friends. He glanced around until he saw a dark secluded alcove under the stairs to the upper level.

"Spike, we shouldn't. My friends are going to notice," Lizzie whispered. She tried to sound sincere, but she found herself extremely aroused by the fact that they were alone in the dark. His lips on her throat, and his hands skimming up and down her body, caused all thought processes to shut down.

"I love you, Lizzie. I don't care how forbidden you are," Spike whispered. He moved his hands to cup her pert little breasts. He sighed when they filled his hands perfectly, and her answering whimper caused his cock to harden in his pants. Spike rubbed his cock against her soft belly. He pulled away from her neck, ready to settle his lips on hers, when he opened his eyes again to look at Lizzie. 

Spike jerked away from the girl when he realized that it wasn't Lizzie he making love to, but the Slayer. Her green eyes were filled with lust, and her blond hair was in a state of dishevelment that made her look like she'd just been shagged six ways from Sunday. 

"Spike, what's wrong?" Buffy whispered.

Spike sat straight up in bed, threw back the covers, and raced to the shower room in the back of the factory. With a short, quick dismissal he had the minions cleared out in a heartbeat. Spike curled his hand around his traitorous cock, and he jerked himself off as he thought about how wonderful it felt to hold the Slayer in his arms. _What a terrible dream,_ he snarled to himself while he spurted his cold seed on the shower wall. _The disgusting Slayer touching. I would never touch her like that. She's my enemy,_ Spike looked down at his rehardening cock, and berated himself, _I'm a sick bastard getting a hard on from a dream about the Slayer._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Spike looked down at the now helpless Slayer. He took a deep whiff of her scent. She was frightened. That alone was intoxicating to the demon, but then she looked up into his face. She flung her arms around him, making him shift out of game face into his human guise.

"William, oh William. Don't let that monster get me, again." The Slayer indicated Angel standing behind them. 

Spike turned and looked at Angel, slightly confused. He smirked when Angel shrugged slightly and shook his head. The blond vampire turned his attention back to the girl in his arms.

"When did the monster get you, pet?" asked Spike. He stared down into her glittering green eyes, and he caught a tear that leaked out of the corner of one. 

"Cecily was so cruel to you. I followed you out in hopes of telling you to wait for me. I know I am only 14, but if you wait I will sit at your feet and listen to your poetry all day. It's so beautiful, William." The Slayer smiled brightly up into the vampire's face. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder while she hugged him tightly to her body.

"Lizzie?" Spike brought his hands up to stroke her hair. Spike shook his head in denial. _Was this what the dream he had the other night was telling him? Had he recognized Lizzie Addams' soul housed in Buffy Summers' body?_

"Oh William, you do see me. I saw you in the alley with that strumpet, but before I could say anything that monster grabbed me and hurt my neck. I think I died." The Slayer pulled away from Spike's shoulder to peer up into his face.

Spike's mouth dropped open. Then, he frowned. "Oh, Lizzie, we both died. I became a monster like the one that killed you, and you were reincarnated into one who kills the monsters." His hardened heart softened. He suddenly remembered the dream he'd had over a century ago when he was still that poncy William. It made him wonder if he'd had prophetic dreams instead of just simple nightmares.

"You are a monster now too, William? Can I see?" Lizzie asked with youthful enthusiasm. She reached up to cup his face in her hands; her warm fingers stroked Spike's jawbones.

Spike brought forth his demon, and Lizzie gasped in surprise before she reached up to caress his lumpy brow. Buffy continued to stare up into the vampire's face as the spell broke. Her brown wig slid off her head to reveal the blond tresses of the Sunnydale Slayer. Instead of reacting violently against Spike, she studied his face for any signs of hatred.

"Whoa, that was a trip and half," Xander exclaimed. He stared in disbelief at his best friend and the blond vampire that he knew had pledged to kill her. "Why is Buffy still touching Spike?"

Buffy couldn't tear her eyes away from Spike's face. A whole new set of memories of a different lifetime and a man who looked a lot like Spike rooted themselves in the forefront of her consciousness. She knew things about Spike's human days that she was sure no one else knew. She realized that she held the memories of a young girl who was very much in love with a man that she literally died for as she tried to find him and console him from the cruelties of their society.

"So Peaches, while Dru was turning me, did you kill a little girl in the alley?" Spike asked, his voice cruel and filled with disgust. Lizzie was the one person from his past life he'd had no desire to hurt. None of his victims from his tiny social circle had mentioned that the girl had died the same night he had. Spike slipped once again into his human guise.

Angel stared at Buffy, and then, he nodded guiltily. The memories from so long ago hit him like a tidal wave. He couldn't help but condone Spike for his disgust.

_"William! William!" A sweet, little voice caught Angelus' attention. A young girl, rounding into womanhood, hurried down the street towards the alley where Dru had just followed her prey. When the girl reached the alley and saw William, eyes closed, being kissed on the neck by a dark haired strumpet, she gasped. Before she could utter a single word out loud, Angelus grabbed her, twisted her head to the side and plunged his fangs into her neck._

_Angelus' other hand made short work of the bodice material that bound the girl's young breasts. He shredded the top of the bodice enough to shove his hand against the mounds and roughly squeezing and tugging on them._

_Angelus' cock hardened in his pants. He reached down to unbutton his pants and free himself. There was nothing like plunging his raging hard-on into the virginal passage of a sweet, young thing while he drained her dry. It made their blood taste all the sweeter from the combination of fear, pain, and shameful pleasure from his prey while forced their body to orgasm despite the violation._

_Angelus moved his big paw-like hand to cover the little girl's mouth while he slipped the other one down to rip off her dress completely. He lifted her off her feet, and he plunged her young body down on his erection. Angelus chuckled evilly when she bit his hand in agony. The sadistic bastard that he was delighted in the blood that covered his cock from tearing through her virginal barrier and how he split her canal with his girth on the way in._

_Angelus turned to to the side and slammed her body into the wall face first. With each forward thrust, he forced her tender breasts into the brick, cutting them. He pumped wildly into her untried body from behind while he dug his fangs in deeper and deeper. This girl was pure, and her blood sang to him of all her unspoken dreams and heartfelt wishes. He delighted in stealing those things for himself, and he considered her a fine conquest for his cruel pleasures._

_When he was finished, the girl's heart a mere whisper of a beat from death, Angelus tossed the girl to the side. He had taken what he wanted, and the dogs could have what was left of her now. The pair in the alley never noticed what was going on behind them. They were too engrossed in each other to care._

_Angelus twirled around to march down the street to his Sire, who he shoved up against the alley wall, raised her skirts and took her hard and fast. He growled all of his thoughts about how wet and tight his young victim had felt clenching around his cock into his Sire's ear. His Sire was proud of the vicious killer that her Childe was, and Darla gifted Angelus with her Sire's blood that night for his reward._

_In a few scant hours, the dark-haired vampire forgot the young girl and made no connection between her and the brash upstart that his Drusilla brought home several days later._

"Buffy, what's going on?" Xander asked, confusion tinged his every word. "Why does Deadboy look so constipated? Would you please step away from..."

"That was a long time ago," Angel interrupted Xander. "I'm not that creature anymore. I haven't been for almost 100 years." He hoped that Buffy wouldn't remember everything about that night, and he hoped that she believed him now. "My soul changed me into a better person. I would never do anything like that with my soul."

Spike began to chuckle and a sneer crossed his handsome face. "You keep telling yourself that, Peaches, but I know for a fact there's a young submariner from the 40's that would disagree with you there." The blond vampire looked as if he was searching his memories for something. "Now what was that kid's name? Ah yes, Sam Lawson. Bet Lawson wouldn't think that you've been so pure with that soul."

"W-what do you mean, Spike?" Buffy whirled around to stare at the black-clad vampire. She smiled to herself when she realized how much of William still shined through. Even though the Slayer was sure he tried his hardest to suppress it, she noticed the same twinkle in his eye that Lizzie recognized from when William was excited about a new book he'd acquired.

"Ran across Grandpa here in World War II on submarine." Spike stared down into Buffy's curious face. He wondered if she would believe him, or if she would be swayed by Angelus' soulful puppy dog gazes. "Things were going pretty bad for us. We needed the human boys to run the sub for us. When the one that knew how to fix the generator got hurt really bad, Angelus over there turned him, fixed the sub right up, and then tossed Lawson and myself into the drink."

"Wow," Xander muttered. "What else you hiding, Deadboy? First we find out about Spike, and now yet another skeleton in the closet? Is there something about that cursed soul of yours we need to know about?"

"Buffy, don't listen to that idiot," Angel pleaded. "He'd do anything to make me look bad in your eyes. Please, let me walk you home." He moved towards the Slayer, not realizing that the breaking of the spell didn't mean a loss of Lizzie Addams' memories. Angel stopped when Buffy cringed away from him.

"Don't touch me, Angel." Buffy felt silly cringing away from Angel. She was the Slayer, but she was still just a sixteen year old girl. The memories from her previous life resonated through her soul. 

Spike watched as Buffy stepped back from Angelus, and he found himself relieved that she didn't just fall into the Poofter's arms. The urge to soothe the worry lines from the Slayer's face was strong, but he fought against himself for the moment. 

Buffy smiled sadly at Spike, touched him on the sleeve of his duster, and then requested that Xander escort her home. She left Spike, Angel and Cordelia standing alone in the alley.

"Cursed soul, huh?" Spike pulled out his cigarettes, lit one with his Zippo, and looked his grandsire up and down with palpable contempt. "At least now I know why the old bitch was so brassed off when you scampered away." The blond vampire whirled around to disappear down the alley in a whoosh of leather and a trail of smoke.

Xander and Buffy met up with Willow a few blocks from Buffy's house. The two girls said their good-byes to Xander at the front door before Joyce drove the boy home. Once upstairs, Willow helped Buffy out of her costume. The usually bubbly Slayer was quiet and contemplative instead.

"What happened?" Willow asked. She was getting concerned for her friend. The redhead knew something had happened earlier because Xander hadn't been very talkative either. "Was it Angel?"

"Sort of," Buffy answered quietly. "Spike, too. Do you believe in reincarnation, Wills?" Buffy crawled onto her bed, but she scooted over enough that her friend could lay down next to her.

"Well, I'm Jewish, so no, but we do live on the Hellmouth. Stranger things have happened. Why do you ask?" Willow faced Buffy with a pillow shoved under her head, her hair bright against the stark white of the pillowcase.

"This is so weird." Buffy rolled her eyes. "When I was all girly-girl, I met up with Spike. He was about to kill me when I recognized him."

"You've fought him before, so that's understandable." 

"Let me rephrase that. I recognized William, the man behind the vampire." Buffy smiled slightly at Willow's look of disbelief. "I know. I know. It's very high on the wiggy scale." She sighed. "I can tell you all kinds of things about William that I'm sure is missing from that Council book Giles read about him."

"Like what?" Willow giggled and bit her lip when movement from the window caught her attention. She thought about pointing the presence out to Buffy, but Buffy was still talking.

The object of their conversation was crouched there looking in the window with a look of abject terror on his face. If Buffy Summers truly had all of Lizzie Addams' memories, his Big Bad image was going to take a huge nose dive. He never wanted anyone to know about his William days. He'd fought over a century to get as far from what he was as he could.

"Well, Spike's not as old as Giles thinks, for one thing." Buffy giggled as she lost herself in the memories of her previous life. "And he was about as far from being a highway man as Xander is from being a Chippendale dancer." She focused on Willow's face for a minute and noticed that the other girl's attention was on the window. Buffy turned her head to see Spike grimacing at her. "Spike, what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to say good night, luv, and ask that you please keep some things to yourself." Spike grimaced while he ran a hand through his short peroxide blond locks. "This is not good. What the hell is happening to me? I'm supposed to want to kill you, Slayer, not want to make sure you get home safely."

"This is not easy for me either," Buffy groused while she rolled off the bed. She crossed to the window where Spike put his hand up against the invisible barrier. "I want to invite you in instead of staking your sorry ass for attacking me." She wanted to entwine her fingers with Spike's.

"I'm here to heal my Sire and kill the Slayer, not have my whole bloody existence turned upside down." Spike sighed when tears began to slide down Buffy's cheeks. "Ah, please, pet. Don't cry. You know damned well, I've never been able to withstand your tears."

Buffy put her hand up to mirror Spike's hand, and she whispered, "I feel everything that Lizzie felt for William. She loved him with all her heart even though she was so young." Her face pulled into a sneer. "I felt the way she was violated and how she died in that alley, Spike. I have to say that I'm glad he let her die instead of turning her."

"That was my fault, too," Spike stated matter-of-factly. He felt a very sharp pang of guilt shoot through him as he thought about Lizzie and her death. Guilt was a feeling he had fought hard to suppress for over a century. Vampires weren't supposed to feel that. So, why did he?

"No! Lizzie's dying wasn't William's fault," Buffy growled gruffly. "She never blamed you, not even with her last breath in this world. You wipe that thought right out of your head, or I'll smack you. You know I can do it, too." She turned to look at a very shocked Willow, who was staring at them like they had both grown two heads. "Are you okay, Wills?"

"Um, sure," Willow said slowly, "It's just weird seeing you have a conversation with a vampire that's not filled with quips and death threats." She sat up to sit Indian style in the middle of Buffy's bed.

"Yeah, you were locked in the closet with Cordelia last time." Buffy giggled. "You missed all the fun." She turned back to the blond vampire. "Mom's gonna be back from taking Xander home pretty soon. If you don't want to become better acquainted with her axe, you better get, Spike."

"I know, Slayer. Dru's waiting for me back at the factory," Spike muttered. "She's not gonna be too happy. I was supposed kill you, not ... whatever this is. I don't know what to do." 

"Neither do I, Spike." Buffy leaned down, pressed her lips past the barrier, and kissed the palm of Spike's hand. "I don't know how I feel anymore."

Spike nodded. He made no attempt to pull Buffy out the window. He mimicked a kiss to Buffy's forehead from his side of the barrier, never actually touching her flesh. With that, the vampire stood, leapt off the roof to land gracefully on the ground, and disappeared into the darkness.

"Life on the Hellmouth," Buffy muttered. "Weird and complicated, and it's only the beginning of November." She turned around to sit down on the window seat. She looked out the window into the night and wondered what would happen the next time she met Spike. She doubted that she would ever look at Angel the same way again.

"Hey, at least it wasn't a Tuesday." Willow tried to assure her best friend. However, this was way off the scope of anything she had done for the Slayer ever before.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Drusilla sat rocking back and forth on the bed she shared with Spike. Her fingers were clenched in her hair. She tugged and pulled on the dark tresses while the memories of the very, very distant past washed over her. 

_Twelfth Century A.D. England_

_"I have done all that thee charged, Father." Cilla pouted at her father. She had learned early that a quivering lower lip got her most anything she wanted out of life. "My lord remembers naught that peasant whore, and yet he will not warm my bed. How shall I secure his pledge if he doth not?"_

_"Thee shall endure," Liam, Cilla's father growled. "My debts are mounting. If thou fails to catch William within twice week's end, we will be ruined."_

_"What should we do next?" Cilla whined. She had never had problems seducing her prey before. Not one man, including her father, was as stubborn as William was. This was a new experience for the dark-haired seductress._

_"At the feast on the morrow's eve, we will use a draught on him." Liam smirked evilly. "As a good father, I will raise the alarm when I cannot find you with the dawn's light."_

_Cilla clapped her hands in glee. "And, for shame, I will be found in William's bed. Oh, Father, it is perfect." She danced over to Liam to kiss him on the cheek._

_"I knew it!" A sandy blond haired woman stepped out of the nearby shadowed alcove. "I knew thou were guilty of the disappearance of my Elizabeth." She stood staring at the dark haired father and daughter with angry defiance in her eyes._

_"Yes, she vexed me when William should be mine," Cilla boasted. "Worry not, as soon as I am the lady of the manor, I will see to it that you join your daughter." She gave a haughty sniff. "You shall suffer with the little bitch... in hell!"_

_"Even if you succeed with your plans to ensnare my lord, you will never be the real lady," the woman hissed. Her heart hurt to know that these two people had killed her daughter and separated her from the love of her life. "Because of this terrible injustice against Lord William and my Elizabeth, I will have my revenge. If not in this life then another. I charge that thee both, with all those who aided thee in thou vile practices shall, along with Lord William and Elizabeth will be reborn, over and over until William and Elizabeth finally find each other again. Thou shall know neither happiness nor satisfaction whilst my child and her love are separated -- until all they debts are repaid tenfold."_

_"You don't scare me, old woman," Cilla sneered. She gave the other woman an appraising look, and like always Cilla decided that she was better in all ways. There was absolutely nothing about this peasant woman that stood out._

_"I should!" The woman's eyes turned from a brilliant shade of green to the blackest of the black. "Thou shall rue the day my path was crossed."_

_Liam and Cilla slowly backed away until they hit the wall behind them._

_"I could do many, many things to thee that would be swift and sure, but my revenge will be long and painful." Elizabeth's mother chanted some words that neither Liam or Cilla recognized._

_A bright light filled the room, hitting even the darkest of corners. Liam and Cilla covered their eyes, and when they opened them again the witch was gone. Liam was filled with a feeling of dread, but Cilla just muttered that some old witch wasn't going to interfere with her plans._

_The next day, Cilla went ahead with the plan to be found in Lord William's bed. They were married post haste, but Cilla was still unable to truly seduce her husband. He refused to touch her, let alone acknowledge her presence. Finally, Cilla started to take lovers, but she was caught. Lord William turned her out on the street, and the once haughty woman died alone in a whorehouse._

_Liam McAllister didn't get the money from Lord William that he had anticipated. He found himself further and further in debt, until the man holding his notes came for him. Liam spent the rest of his days as the man's servant, doing the things that no one else wanted to do. He died alone on a cold pallet in a stone dungeon._

_Lord William never remarried. He always felt as if something was missing from his life. Everything he owned passed to a distant cousin when he died, alone in his manor._

_Elizabeth wasn't really dead, like Cilla had boasted. She'd had her memories erased by magic, and she never recovered her memories of William. She too felt as if something was missing from her life. She did marry a good man, but she never loved him. She died surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  
Then, the curse took effect, but for centuries whenever William and Elizabeth came close to finding one another again, something would thwart them. Sometimes it was Cilla. Sometimes it was Liam, and sometimes it was that funny little thing called Fate. That is until the end of the twentieth century when William met Elizabeth; he as a vampire and she as the one destined to kill his kind. A little spell by the Chaos Lord Ethan Rayne would finally the two lost lovers together. Nothing was going to stand in their way this time._

_END FLASHBACK_

Drusilla screeched her displeasure. She knew she was the only one that remembered everything. Only she remembered all the lives that they had lived together: Her Daddy, her William, and herself. She'd tried so hard over the centuries to get rid of Elizabeth, but it never worked. She threw one of her dolls across the room, enjoying the sound of its head breaking on the concrete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xander had talked hard and fast. He got Joyce to drop him off at the high school instead of at home. The teenager really wanted to talk to Giles about Ethan's spell and the results.

Now, Xander stood in the library stacks listening to Angel's twisting of the facts, making himself sound innocent and Spike into the Big Bad Villain. Xander knew he was many things; geek, slacker, loser, but he wasn't stupid. He had understood the implications of what Spike had asked the brooding vampire when Ethan's spell had broken.

"She's under Spike's thrall, Giles," Angel protested. "I have nothing but her best interests at heart."

"Be that as it may, Angel." Giles shook his head. He remembered darkly that Angel's 'best interest' the spring before was to brood while Buffy went to her death alone. Giles himself felt guilt at his own part in the incident. "I will need to talk to Buffy herself before I make any decisions."

"I told you before that once Spike sets his sights on something he doesn't back down until he's accomplished his goal." Angel pounded the table. "This is just a ploy on his part to make Buffy vulnerable. Then he'll pounce, and she'll be dead."

"You know for someone who left his vampire family a century ago, you sure do seem positive about how they will act," Giles observed.

"Demons don't change." Angel nodded knowingly.

Xander decided to step out of the shadows at that moment. His clear, young voice rang through the room. "Guess this means that underneath that soul of yours, your demon is a still stalker of innocent girls." The teenager compared the story he had read of how Angelus had stalked an innocent girl on her way to a nunnery, caused her to go insane, and turned with how he continually stalked Buffy. "Oh, gee, you're still the stalker of innocent girls."

Giles chuckled at Xander's words as he found himself in agreement.

"I'm not that demon anymore. My soul makes me different." Angel glared at Xander. "Don't go twisting my words, boy."

"Why should I twist them, Deadboy? You're doing a damned fine job of it yourself." Xander turned to Giles. "Do you want to hear what really happened between Buffy and Captain Peroxide?"

"I would be delighted." The Watcher waved Xander over to the research table while he pointedly ignored Angel.

"When the spell started Willow went all ghostly, I became a soldier, and Buffy was helpless girl." Xander pointed a thumb at Angel. "Old vampy face here scared Buffy, and she ran away."

"How can you remember all that? I thought you were affected by the spell?" Giles asked patiently.  
"Not sure." Xander shrugged. "Guess for the same reason I can remember how to disassemble and reassemble an M-16 in under two minutes. Now back to the story, Buffy as helpless girl recognized Spike, not the other way around."

"Are you sure?" Giles questioned. He ignored Angel's disgruntled grunt.

"Oh yes, and then he recognized her as some girl he knew before he was turned. Her name was Lizzie. Actually, I got from the gist of the conversation that she was at the turning, but she met up with old Angelus." Xander sneered at Angel. "I'm sure she didn't survive the meeting. If my memories are any indication, I'm sure Buffy remembers the entire incident."

Angel grimaced to himself. He had some serious damage control to do with Buffy. He knew the next evening, he needed to explain that it wasn't him that had raped and killed the girl Lizzie all those years before. That had been Angelus. He was different now.

Giles nodded at Xander's words. For all her worldliness, Buffy was fairly innocent. Even if the memories from a 'former life' faded or were proven false, the Slayer's psyche could be easily damaged by a memory as bad as Xander was implying that it could be. The Watcher remembered the business card he had acquired from a local demonic therapist named Brenna Hassib. He vowed to give the woman a call in the morning. He was sure Buffy needed more help than he would be able to provide.

"Look, this is all Spike's fault. I just know it, and I'm going to prove it!" Angel stormed out of the library. There was no possible way that Buffy could be the reincarnation of anyone. Everyone knew that reincarnation was a bunch of baloney.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drusilla thought about the different memories she had cultivated from her dark prince over the years, and she knew the perfect one to work from. It would be the perfect way to get rid of the Slayer... Buffy, whatever she was called this time around, and Spike would never be the wiser. Now, all she had to do was find the one soul she needed out of the thousands of others reborn all over the planet.  
Drusilla knew something that her sire didn't remember. Reincarnation existed, but only as a curse. Out there somewhere was someone that had known her Spike when he had been William the Bloody Awful Poet. It was just a matter of time before she found him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"Buffy, may I speak to you?" Giles asked the young Slayer. He ushered her into the library.

"You heard about last night, didn't you?" Buffy sighed. "Who tattled?"

"Angel came to me initially, but Xander gave me some information also." Giles adjusted his glasses. "I wish to learn your recollection of the events.

Buffy sat down in a chair, and she nibbled her lower lip. She hoped she could get through the 'interrogation' without spilling too many of Spike's secrets. "First off, Giles, none of this makes it back to the Council, okay?"

"Sure, Buffy, if that's what you want," Giles nodded. His only purpose in this instance was to help his charge.

"Okay, let me start by saying that the Council's speculation of Spike's life prior to his turning is so far off track it's laughable." Buffy shrugged. "Your friend's spell made me all helpless girl, you know. Angel vamped out, and he scared me. When I ran away I found Spike."

"He tried to kill you, I take it?" Giles asked.

"Of course. That's what we do, isn't it? Try to kill each other?" Buffy gave a wary smile. "Then, I recognized him... well, I recognized William."

"Who recognized William?"

"Elizabeth Anne Addams. She was born in 1866 and died in 1880 at the hands of Angelus." Buffy turned her face away from Giles. "He raped and murdered her while Drusilla turned William. He threw her away like a piece of garbage. I remember everything, Giles."

"E-everything?" the horrified Watcher asked.

Buffy nodded. "I remember all of her pain and anger. Every emotion Angelus forced out of her mind, body, and soul. You see, she followed William after some bitch rejected him, but Drusilla found him first. Then, Angelus found Elizabeth."

"So while under Ethan's spell, you recognized Spike. Did he remember this Elizabeth?"

"Oh, he remembered Lizzie, alright." Buffy nodded. "He never questioned it either. He took it on faith that I was telling the truth."

Above the Watcher and the Slayer, in the stacks, a hidden listener was thinking vicious thoughts about his grandsire. The damned dirty animal had hurt his Lizzie, and now the Slayer was dealing with the after affects. "After that dream, luv," Spike whispered. "I had every reason to believe you."

"I... I don't think I can be alone with Angel again right now," Buffy said softly. "Lizzie's memories are too fresh."

"I understand." Giles pulled Brenna Hassib's card from her pocket, and he laid it on the table in front of Buffy. "This is a number for a demonic therapist. She'll understand anything you need to talk about."

"I'll think about it, Giles." Giles picked up the card. "Hassib? Isn't that the guy who runs the donut shop?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Cool," Buffy replied. She had always thought the guy in the shop was nice the couple of times she had went in there with Xander. Hassib always added a couple of extra donuts to their order. "Oh, Spike mentioned that Angel turned some guy in the 1940's."

"Really?" Giles looked interested. "Let me get my notebook. Did he say anything else?"

"Um, the guy's name was Lawford or Lawton." Buffy went over the conversation in her mind. "Lawson. Sam Lawson. He was a submariner."

"Interesting." Giles wrote the information down in his notebook. "I'll have to look into it."

"Ethan's spell was kinda weird." Buffy shrugged. "Maybe we should spread a tainted candy rumor to explain why the kiddos will be acting like little demons." She chuckled. 

Spike was slowly talking himself into a rage. He had saved Lizzie from the likes of Carl Pendergrass, only to have her fall victim to a worse predator. Spike knew he was evil, and he had done some terrible things in his day, but raping little girls wasn't one of them.

"How do you think Spike will react to the situation?" Giles asked with great interest. If the information from the Council was wrong, he had no baseline to compare any of Spike's actions to.

"I don't know about Spike, but let me tell you a little story about William and Lizzie." Buffy gave her Watcher a sad smile. "About a year before they died, just after Lizzie's thirteenth birthday, William caught one of the gentlemen -- and I use that term loosely-- trying something nasty with Lizzie."

"Nasty? You mean he was trying to rape her?" Giles watched as Buffy nodded sadly.

"William punched the guy out." Buffy looked thoughtful. "That's William's reaction. You're the vamp expert, Giles. What do _you_ think Spike will do?"

Giles went to get one of his books. He sat across from Buffy, and he opened the tome. "Vampires are contradictory creatures. On one hand, they're possessive and territorial. On the other, they are rarely interested in anything for more than a few months."

"I think we mostly see the second kind," Buffy muttered.

"Most of the time, yes." Giles nodded in agreement. "Now in Spike's case, most Council references to him put him in the company of one vampiress, Drusilla, childe of Angelus. That's over a hundred years in the company of the same woman."

"So, you're saying Spike's possessive, and he might consider me his territory?"

"Yes, exactly. He'll see Angel's interest in you, Buffy, and Angelus' acts against Lizzie as encroachment on what he considers his."

Buffy nodded in understanding. She felt so much safer with the knowledge that Spike was more similar to William than he probably let on to most people. The Slayer part of her didn't even seem to care that an evil vampire considered her to be his territory. Buffy knew she should not feel that way about Spike, but Lizzie's memories of William softened her heart.

"Buffy, I want you to trust your instincts in this situation," Giles said. His tone was very gently. "If you feel uncomfortable, by all means don't be alone with Angel. As for Spike," Giles' voice dropped off for a moment. "I'll trust you there too, but please be careful."

"Thanks, Giles." Buffy smiled at her Watcher. "I think I will give this therapist a call. Maybe she can help me with deal with some other things, too. This is a lot to take in at once."

Spike slipped out of the library, content that Buffy wouldn't allow herself to be alone with the great poofter. He strolled down the street, deep in thought. He was so brassed off at Angelus at the moment that he almost missed seeing one of the Slayer's friends being harassed.

"Come on, pretty girl," the bully leered at the red-haired girl. He winked at his buddies. "Give me a kiss."

Willow cringed slightly before she said with great defiance, "NO!"

"Don't be like that. Let me show you a good time." The bully stroked the back of his hand down Willow's cheek.

"Leave me alone," Willow cried out.

"Better listen to the girl," Spike growled. He gave the bullies a hard glare.

"S-spike," Willow stammered. She looked first at the bully, and then at the vampire. She surprised herself by stepping closer to the vampire.

"Oh, look at the Billy Idol wanna-be," the head bully scoffed. "Run along, Billy. This isn't any of your business."

"Red's a friend of a friend," Spike drawled calmer than he felt. "Come here, girl."

"S-sure, Spike." Willow inched towards the vampire.

"You're just as scared of him as you are of me," the bully observed.

"Yeah, but if he hurts me, Buffy will smack him around." Willow glanced at Spike to see if she had insulted him, but he just smirked at her. "Actually, he's much scarier than you."

The bully looked down at Willow and Spike from his superior height. He studied the other male, and he decided that the lean, angular man was no challenge. "Huh," he scoffed.

"Spike's stronger than the looks," Willow offered informatively. "He's one of those deformed faced gang members on PCP you always hear about."

"He doesn't have a deformed face." One of the other boys scoffed.

Spike pulled his demon forward. "What about now?"

The bully's friends let out a shriek, and they abandoned him to his fate as they ran away. The bully stared at the creature that the puny-looking punk rocker had turned into right before his eyes.  
"I... I... " The bully backed away.

"Told you he was scarier."

"I hear about you harrassin' Red here again, and I'll hunt you down. It _won't_ be pretty," Spike snarled the threat.

"Yes, sir." The bully gulped in terror. He turned and followed the path of his friends, feeling lucky to have survived. He vowed to never bother Willow Rosenberg or anyone she hung out with ever again.  
"Um, thanks, Spike." Willow eyed the vampire while taking a wary stance.

"No problem, Red." Spike shrugged as he slipped back into his human guise. "I need a favor. It concerns the Slayer."

"Sure, I guess." Willow wondered what the vampire could possibly be asking her about.

"I believe Angelus will make Buffy antsy till she comes to terms with what happened to Lizzie." Spike pulled his cigarettes out of his duster pocket. "I don't trust him. Don't let her be alone with him."

"Do you think he'd hurt her?" Willow asked in sudden horror.

"It's always possible." Spike lit a cigarette. "Now, can I escort you someplace? It wouldn't do for one of the Slayer's friends to get hurt."

"I'm meeting Buffy at the school. We're gonna go over French again. Buffy really sucks at it." Willow gave Spike a shy smile.

Spike chuckled. He remembered back to the first night at the Bronze when Buffy had some real problems with the 'language of love'. On the other hand, he knew Lizzie excelled at languages including French.

"The Slayer might be a touch better now." Spike grinned at Willow. "Let's get a move on."

The vampire and the teenager walked towards the high school. When they arrived at their destination, Spike waited until Willow was inside before he turned to leave.

"What did you do to Willow?" Angel snarled as he stepped out of the shadows to confront Spike.

"Angelus, just the vampire I wanted to see," Spike growled.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"Angelus, just the vampire I wanted to see," Spike growled. "Stay away from the Slayer. She doesn't belong to you."

"You think she belongs to you, boy?" Angel scoffed.

"It doesn't matter _what_ I think," Spike smirked. "It's what I _know._

"You know nothing." Did Spike actually believe what he was telling himself. Angel knew Buffy the best. There was no way the Slayer would accept a soulless vampire as anything except stake practice.

"Wimpy little William beat up a git who was attemptin' to rape Lizzie." Spike gave Angel a contemptuous look. "Carl Pendergrass was the first one I used the spike on. _His_ torture may not have lasted very long but it was the most satisfying of all my old _friends_ , Angelus."

Angel grimaced. Drusilla had crowed about her dark prince's torture methods for a decade. He had always wondered what lay behind Spike's selection to kill certain members of his social set. "Buffy is not your Lizzie," Angel growled.

"No, she's not." Spike agreed. "But that doesn't negate the fact that she's under my protection from now on, and I always protect what is mine."

"Oh, like you protected Drusilla?" Angel sneered.

"Dru's not mine, now is she?" Spike tilted his head. "She belongs to her Daddy." His eyes flashed yellow. "Stay away from the Slayer, or you'll learn how much I've changed since you left the family." Spike turned to leave before he got any madder and ended up doing something that might brass off the Slayer. Although from Buffy's reaction earlier she might not be _too_ upset.

"She has no idea what you really are," Angel called out. "Once I tell her of all the evil things you've done, she'll turn on you."

Spike gave Angel a two-fingered salute over his shoulder. He wasn't worried because he knew Buffy would avoid the broody vampire at all costs, and her friends would help. Spike wondered if he was making a mistake by not staking Angel while he had the chance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Billy 'Ford' Fordham sank down into his bed, and he pulled the covers up over his head. The day had been harrowing on the young man between his headaches from the tumors and the weird feelings that had come over him the night before. Ford wearily closed his eyes as he slipped into sleep.

_THE PENDERGRASS MANSION, MARCH 12, 1879_

_Carl Pendergrass' eyes followed the young woman across the dance floor of his family home. The spoiled heir of the Pendergrass family line was used to getting exactly who and what he wanted. A "man" of twenty-two, he thought the world was at his feet and should bow to his desires. At that moment his desires traveled down a dangerous path. Despite the fact that he could have any woman in attendance at his beckon call, the blossoming form of the petite Elizabeth Addams was the young woman he'd set his sights on for the night. He didn't care that she was only just thirteen years of age._

_Lizzie fanned her blushing face to calm herself down. She wasn't used to attending such functions, but her parent's connections with the Pendergrass family made it imperative for her to be there. After stumbling upon a rather lewd couple fornicating in one of the upper rooms while she searched for the privy, she'd rushed back into the main area to calm herself. Her eyes searched for her friend William. She hoped he made it tonight. She needed the company of a friend right now._

_"May I have this dance?" A voice startled the young girl._

_Lizzie turned to find a handsome young man a few years younger than William standing next to her. She studied his face for a few moments before she decided that it was probably fine for him to dance with her. Lizzie was sure he was just being polite as she now recognized him as the young Pendergrass heir. She nodded, and she held her hand out for the young man to take._

_"My name is Carl," the dark-haired man said softly as he took the girl's trembling body into his arms. _This is going to be so easy,_ he thought to himself. He swept her onto the dance floor where he smirked at his buddies. He knew that they knew what he had planned._

_"My name is Lizzie... I mean, Elizabeth," Lizzie said, wanting to sound more grown up. She glanced around for William again. She thought Carl was handsome, but he just didn't make her tingle the way William did. Lizzie wasn't sure what the tingles meant, but they did feel quite nice._

_"Would you care for some punch, my sweet?" Carl asked ever so softly. He knew he had to be gentle to get this one alone._

_"That would be lovely," Lizzie murmured shyly. She let Carl lead her over to the refreshment table._

_"Some of my 'special' punch for the young lady," Carl told the servant behind the table._

_"Of course, sir." Travis looked at the young girl standing next to the Pendergrass heir, and he inwardly shuddered. There stood another youngling to be destroyed by the over indulged boy. However, he knew there was nothing he could do. It would be his word against the Pendergrass', and he was only a servant. As he turned away from the couple, he heard the girl speak._

_"I hope William gets here soon. We are going to take a tour of the gardens together." Lizzie smiled while she thought of the shy man attempting to court her stepsister._

_"Forget about Jamison," Carl said. "I'll take you on that tour."_

_Travis knew exactly who William Jamison was, and he thanked the Lord for finding him a way to deliver the young woman from Carl Pendergrass. He poured some of Carl's special brew into a small cup. Travis turned back to hand the cup to Carl, who then handed it to Lizzie. He watched with worry in his heart as the couple strolled away towards the terrace._

_Travis kept a close eye out for William Jamison. He knew the young man was very shy, but he also had great confidence that he would protect those he felt loyal to. Travis had heard from the other servants that William considered Lizzie a good friend despite the age difference between them. It was just a few minutes later that Jamison appeared in the door way, his glasses askew and his hair wind-blown. Travis waved one of the servants carrying a tray of glasses over, and the two traded places. He wove his way through the throng to Jamison's side._

_"Sir, a drink to take off the chill," Travis said. He waited as Jamison took a drink, and then in a low voice, he continued, "Carl Pendergrass took the young Miss Addams into the gardens. I fear that he has nefarious plans for her."_

_Jamison's eyebrow raised, and a cool look settled over his face. "Thank you, Travis. I will see to it right away." The curly-haired man strode across the room in search of his friend._

_William searched through the garden as quickly as he could. Soon, he could hear Lizzie's sweet young voice coming from one of the gazebos. She was telling Carl to leave her alone. William literally growled when he heard Pendergrass laugh and tell her to shut up. Carl said that she was asking for it._

_William stormed up the steps that led to the gazebo, and he burst into the small outbuilding. He saw red when he realized that Pendergrass was laying on top of the young girl with one hand grasping at her breast and the other pushing up her dress. "Unhand her, Pendergrass!" William snarled._

_"Mind your own business, Jamison," Carl replied. He tweaked Lizzie's nipple while he slid his hand even higher._

_"Help me, Will," Lizzie cried. The tears ran down her face. "Make him get off me!" She struggled in earnest now._

_"Do as the lady says," William growled. He grabbed Pendergrass by the shoulder. Later, William had no idea where the strength came from, but he was able to throw the taller, heavier man across the gazebo._

_"You'll pay for this, Jamison." Carl rose to his feet. He advanced on William, but before he could do anything, William threw a punch that caught him right in the nose. Carl's eyes watered, and while he was trying to assess the damage to his nose, he felt William's fist connect with his cheekbone. Blackness overwhelmed him. That was the last thing Pendergrass knew until morning when he woke up in his bed._

_After that, Pendergrass took every opportunity to put Jamison down. It was he who came up with the nickname, William the Bloody Awful poet._

Ford awoke with a gasp. He wondered what the hell the dream meant while he rose to get himself a drink of water. The girl did look a lot like his old friend Buffy Summers. So, he decided that was what the dream was all about. After all, he was going to Sunnydale where she lived, and he knew she was the Slayer. Some vampire was sure to turn him in exchange for her blood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy sat in Brenna Hassib's waiting room. She was quite nervous about seeing the therapist. The last couple of days had been tense as Buffy had avoided Angel at all costs. Just the mention of his name brought back the memories of Lizzie's brutal death while thinking of Spike filled the Slayer with warmth.

"Miss Summers, Dr. Hassib will see you now," the receptionist announced.

Buffy gave the woman a nervous smile before she went through the door to the inner office.

Brenna Hassib rose from her chair with her hand forward in greeting. "I'm so pleased to meet you, Miss Summers. You don't know how grateful we are that the Slayer now lives in Sunnydale."

Buffy stared at the tall dark-haired woman for a moment. She was unsure what to say exactly as she shook Dr. Hassib's hand.

"I can't even begin to imagine how stressful your life must be," Brenna continued. She shook Buffy's hand for a moment before she gestured to a chair across the desk from her own. "Please have a seat."

Buffy sank into the chair. "So, Giles told you what was going on?"

"Not really. He just mentioned that recent events had hit you hard." Brenna smiled encouragingly.

"Yeah, you could say that," Buffy said in a soft voice. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Why not start at the very beginning," Brenna suggested. "Who was Buffy the little girl?"

Buffy nodded before she opened her mouth to speak. She told Brenna about her childhood and the fights her parents had. She talked about how she'd felt when she became the Slayer, and her parents’ divorce that had caused her and her mother to move to Sunnydale. Buffy mentioned Angel and his undead status. Lastly, she spoke of her death at the hands of the Master.

"All that's nothing compared to what happened on Halloween," Buffy muttered.

"I did notice something odd going on that night," Brenna replied.

"Yeah, that was Giles' friend Ethan Rayne." Buffy sighed. "Anyone who bought a costume from him turned into whatever the costume was."

"You purchased your costume from his shop?"

"Oh yeah," Buffy nodded. "I was all helpless girl. Then, I ran into Spike."

"Spike?" Brenna asked. She wondered why this person hadn't been mentioned before. "Who is this Spike?"

"He's a vampire. He came here to kill me, but things have changed." Buffy looked down at her hands. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"My species does not," Brenna said slowly. "But we live on the Hellmouth. Stranger things have happened." The therapist unknowingly echoed Willow's words from Halloween night.

"While I was under the influence of the spell, I recognized Spike." Buffy scrunched up her brow. "Well, I knew I was a girl named Lizzie who recognized the person he was before he was turned."

"Does this bother you?"

"Surprisingly, no." Buffy shook her head. "But I relived her death at the hands of Angel."

"The vampire that you've felt romantically attached to prior to Ethan's spell?" Brenna watched the Slayer carefully.

"Yes." Buffy nodded. "Now though, I can't stand to even think about him without major freakage."

"I can well imagine."

"I mean, I know he's all sorry and broody about all the people he killed back in the day, but I feel like it's me, Buffy, that her hurt. Not just Lizzie." Buffy nibbled her lip. "I'm really freaked by the whole thing, yet Spike's a vamp and I'm not freaked by him."

Brenna glanced at the clock, and she realized that Buffy's time was almost up. "We had a great start, Buffy."

"I do feel a little better having told someone," Buffy said. "I just wish I could talk to my mom about some of this stuff. She thinks I'm a delinquent."

"If that's one of your goals, we can certainly work on it," Brenna replied.

"Okay." Buffy rose to her feet. "I guess I'll see you next week."

"Of course." Brenna also rose to her feet. "It was good meeting you, Buffy."

Buffy gave a smile. "Thanks." She left the office, and she was pleasantly surprised to find Willow waiting for her in the outer office.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5 Lie to Me

Drusilla watched in dismay as the little boy she was about to lure in for a quick snack ran away. Her Daddy intervened and sent the child scurrying away.

"My Angel!" The dark-haired vampiress cried when her Sire finally faced her.

"Hello, Drusilla," Angel replied.

Drusilla slowly approached Angel. "Do you remember the song mummy used to sing to me?"

Angel nodded. "I remember." He thought it was best if he humored the insane woman.

"No, you don't, Daddy," Drusilla screeched. "Not really. You've forgotten too much."

"Drusilla, leave here," Angel said softly. "I'm offering you a chance. Take Spike and get out of Sunnydale."

"Can't." Drusilla pouted. "Not till the girl is gone, but I have a plan." She started to hum to herself.

"Drusilla, what did you do?" Angel felt a fissure of alarm run through him.

"Just called a nasty boy," Drusilla replied dreamily. "He'll help get rid of the Slayer."

Angel backed away from Drusilla. As he hurried off, he had to wonder who the nasty boy his insane childe was talking about. He wanted to warn Buffy, but he wasn't sure if she would listen to him. After all, she had been avoiding him ever since Halloween, as had the other Scoobies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ford raised a hand to his forehead. He had been observing his old friend Buffy Summers for the past ten minutes. The memory of the dream from the night before flashed through his head, giving him an unwanted headache.

Ford made up his mind to approach Buffy. When he got closer, he realized she and her friends were talking about cheering Buffy up. Someone named Spike was mentioned, but Ford was too intent on reintroducing himself to Buffy to comprehend what was being said. 

"Are you planning on seeing Spike?" the red-haired girl asked. "I'm sure he'll be happy to cheer you up."

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that phase," Ford spoke up. He grinned when Buffy's eyes widened in recognition, but he was a little disappointed when her greeting was a bit frosty.

"Ford," Buffy replied. "What are you doing in Sunnydale?" She stepped back when the other teen went to hug her. She felt a shiver of disgust go through her as she somehow recognized Carl Pendegrass' soul. She stepped back a second time when Ford tried to hug her again.

Xander and Willow stood up from where they had been sitting on one of the Bronze's couches. They didn't know who this stranger was, but they both recognized Buffy's desire to put space between herself and the newcomer.

"How have you been?" Ford attempted to sound casual, but inside he seethed with anger that Buffy wasn't happy to see him.

Buffy looked past Ford to see Spike standing a few feet away. A glorious smile spread across her face. She brushed past Ford, and she hurried to the vampire's side.

Ford turned to see what, or rather who, had caught Buffy's attentions. He felt the blood drain from his face when he recognized another player from his dream. "William," he whispered.

"So, you know Spike?" Xander looked at the other boy. Something made him suspicious of Ford.

"No, I don't!" Ford abruptly hurried away.

"Wonder what his problem was," Willow said softly.

"I can tell you." Buffy walked up with Spike. "I don't know how I know this exactly, but Ford is a guy named Carl Pendergrass."

"Who?" Willow and Xander asked together even as Spike let out a low, disgruntled growl.

Willow looked back and forth between Spike and Buffy. "I guess that means something to the two of you."

"Yeah, you could say that." Buffy nodded. She sank down on a couch, and she put her head into her hands.

"Pendergrass was a wanker who lured Lizzie away from a party with the intention of rapin' her." Spike's eyes flashed yellow, making it apparent that even after a century, and then some, the incident made him angry. "How the bloody hell did he get here?" He sat down next to Buffy where he cautiously took one of her hands.

Spike had been out looking for a snack to play catch and release with when he realized the Slayer was out at the Bronze. On an impulse he had decided to join her. Now, he was glad he had. He didn't want Buffy to face Pendergrass alone, even if it was a reincarnation, possession, or something else.

"I think I know," a quiet voice said. Angel stepped out of the shadows.

"Do tell," Spike snarled. He wasn't happy to see his grandsire, especially after he had warned the broodin' poof away from his girl.

"It's Drusilla." Angel ran a hand over his hair. "She said she had called the nasty boy to take care of Buffy."

Willow's brow furrowed in thought. "I don't understand all of this."

"I think we need to find out more about reincarnation," Buffy replied. "I mean, she couldn't just get someone from our past with a snap of her fingers, could she?"

Willow tilted her head. "I wouldn't think so. Maybe we should go talk to Giles."

Buffy nodded in agreement. She smiled shyly at Spike. "Walk us to the school?" she asked.

Angel felt a zing of jealousy shoot through him. It used to be him that Buffy wanted to hang out with. Didn't she understand that it was Angelus, not him that had hurt Lizzie? He didn't appreciate getting the brush off for Captain Peroxide either.

Angel realized that while he was musing to himself -- he refused to call it brooding -- Buffy had left the nightclub. _She didn't even say good-bye,_ Angel thought angrily.

"Hey, stud muffin. You look lost," a female voice said.

Angel turned to find Cordelia standing behind him. He shrugged, still upset that Buffy had left.

"I saw how they left you here," Cordelia continued. "That just isn't right. Come sit with me." She indicated a table where she had a cup of espresso.

Angel nodded his head as he hid a sly smile. Maybe if Buffy saw him with another girl, she would realize what she was missing. He followed Cordelia over to her table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Giles," Buffy called out as she entered the library with Spike, Willow, and Xander. "Are you here?"

Giles came out of his office. He wasn't surprised to see Willow and Xander with Buffy, but seeing Spike made the Watcher hesitate for an instant. "How can I help you, Buffy?" he finally said.

Buffy glanced at Spike for a second before she replied, "Remember our talk last week when I mentioned how William protected Lizzie?"

Giles nodded. He glanced at Spike too. He was encouraged when the vampire wasn't angry at Buffy's revealing words. 

"Yeah, well he's here!" Buffy wrinkled her nose. "This guy I used to live next to in Los Angeles showed up."

"Somehow Buffy recognized him," Willow added. "Not just as her old friend from out of town either."

"Deadboy seemed to think someone named Drusilla made Ford come here," Xander replied.

"I thought she died in Prague at the hands of the mob," Giles addressed Spike.

Spike shook his head. "She's at the Annoying One's hideout. She's not very strong at the moment."

"I've been researching reincarnation." Giles waved towards the table in the middle of the room. The surface of the table was covered with books. "Please have a seat."

After they were settled, Buffy asked, "So, what's the what, Giles?"

"I've discovered that reincarnation is only possible through curses." Giles handed Buffy a sheet of paper with handwritten notes.

"Lizzie didn't know about magic." Buffy glanced at Spike who shook his head. "William either. Besides, Drusilla is older than Spike."

"Somehow, I very much doubt that Lizzie and William were your first lives," Giles replied. "Just as I doubt William's soul has been reborn."

"Why is that?" Willow asked. "I mean, he's dead. Well, technically." She looked at Spike. "Right?"

"Undead, pet, and lovin' it," Spike drawled. "So, if I've got this right both Buffy and myself have relived our lives many times over?"

"Yes, and it was only by magical circumstances that Buffy even remembers her past life as Lizze."

"Is there any way to find out how old the curse is, and to break it?" Willow directed the two-pronged question to Giles. "I guess it could be like carbon dating Buffy's soul."

"Guess old Pendergrass got himself cursed somehow too." Spike's lip curled in disgust. "Wonder how long that was before I drove that railroad spike through his brain."

"You did?" Buffy looked at Spike with wide eyes. Then she got a faraway look on her face. "Yeah, he was always the one who said he'd rather have a spike through his brain than listen to..."

"Slayer," Spike barked.

"Oh, sorry." Buffy blushed bright red. "No spilling that secret." She pretended to lock her mouth and throw away the key.

"I might be able to 'carbon date' Buffy's soul, as it were." Giles got the conversation back on track, but he was dying to know what kind of secret Buffy had about the bleached blond vampire.

"Are there any consequences to this spell?" Spike asked. 

"Buffy might experience some of her past lives, but if we have Brenna present, it should be fine." Giles nodded as he spoke. This might be beneficial research wise. He could submit a paper on reincarnation to the Council.

"I will talk to her tomorrow," Buffy replied. "We have a session right after school." She glanced at the clock, and she let out a small groan. "I gotta get home."

"I'll drive you," Spike offered. "Your friends too."

"That would be great," Buffy murmured. "Just let me use the little girls' room, and I'll be ready."

"Me too," Willow replied. The two girls got to their feet, and together they left the library.

Spike waited until Buffy was down the hall before he said to Giles, "There was more to this than just the spell on Halloween."

"How so?" Giles was avidly interested by this information.

"Few weeks back, after I broke in here, I dreamed about Buffy and Lizzie," Spike answered. He didn't mind telling the Watcher about the dream, but there was no way he was going to mention the masturbation session that followed. "It was downright disturbin', but it was like I was bein' warned."

"Ford called you William." Xander looked thoughtful.

"Really?" Giles wrote some words down on a piece of paper. "Interesting."

"So, we have two other players in our little drama." Spike leaned back in his chair. "This Ford wanker and Drusilla."

"At least two," Giles agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if there are more. I will start looking into the required spell to check on Buffy's soul."

"You do that." Spike rose to his feet. "Come on, whelp. Our women await us."

"Willow's not my woman," Xander protested as he rose to his feet too.

Spike tapped his nose. "This never lies. Red is hot for you."

"Too much information," Giles muttered as the two unlikely comrades left the library in pursuit of Buffy and Willow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ford sank into one of the chairs that were scattered around the vampire wanna-be's club. His headache was getting more pronounced. It had started behind his right eye, and it had spread to encompass his whole head. He closed his eyes, and soon he was lost in a dream.

_Carl Pendergrass lounged in the gazebo where he had assaulted many young girls. His hand brushed along his cock as he recalled all the tight virginal pussies he had fucked._

_Pendergrass was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to see the demonic creature standing behind a nearby bush. Neither did he see the approach of William Jamison._

_"Pendergrass, just the git I wanted to see," Jamison said with a smirk._

_Carl leisurely opened his eyes. Despite the fact that William had knocked him out during their last fight, he felt no fear of the smaller man. "What do you want, poetry boy? Can't you see I'm busy?"_

_"But I brought you a present." Jamison reached into his pocket._

_"Take your present and shove it up your arse," Pendergrass muttered. He had so many better things to do than verbally spar with the likes of Jamison._

_In just a few second, Carl found himself held in the air by his throat. He gasped for air against William's inhuman grip._

_"Oh, but I'm going to shove it somewhere," Jamison snarled. He took an old rusty railroad spike out of his pocket. "But it won't be up my arse."_

_Carl spluttered in terror when William's face changed into that of a monster. He clawed at Jamison's hand to no avail. Then he felt his bowels and bladder release in fear._

_William wrinkled his nose. "That's just nasty, Pendergrass, just like you," he growled. He hefted the spike up, and he placed it against Carl's eye. "So, let's see which really is more painful, shall we?”_

_Carl squeaked, hoping that William would change his mind. As the metal nail entered his eye, the Pendergrass heir would have screamed but the hand on his throat squelched all sound. Carl fainted from the pain long before the spike reached his brain._

_William dropped the body to the ground. He gave it a disdainful sniff before he kicked it hard in the balls._

_"That was short and sweet," the vampire muttered. "I just wish you would feel that pain over and over for about a hundred lifetimes or so." He strolled out of the gazebo whistling a lullaby his mother used to sing to him. So, he didn't hear the other demon's words as he departed._

_"Wish granted.”_

Ford woke up abruptly. Sitting across from him was a dark-haired woman in an old-fashioned dress. Beside her was one of the vampire wanna-bes, cold and lifeless with bite marks on her neck.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

“And then, I told them that the new imported dresses were just so icky this season.” Cordelia wrinkled her nose. Then, she realized that she didn’t have Angel’s entire attention. “I don’t think Buffy’s coming back tonight.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Angel replied in a morose voice.

“You really should give up on her.” Cordelia took a sip of her cooling coffee. “It’s obvious to everyone she has found herself a new vampire to hang out with.”

“That is unacceptable.” Angel shook his head. “What does Spike have that I don’t? He’s evil and soulless. Anyone with a brain can see that.” He folded his hands on the table, and he rested his forehead on his clutched fists.

Cordelia mentally shook her head. There was no way she was going to get Angel’s attention while Buffy was on the scene. She decided that it was time to change tactics on how she was going to gain said attention. “So, tell me about the intense convo that you had with the geek herd before.”

Angel’s head popped up. He had forgotten about the new kid in town, and he knew he could get Buffy’s attention back by figuring out what the kid was up to. “I’ve got to go figure out what that boy is up to.” He rose to his feet.

Cordelia had no plans on letting Angel leave without her. So, she grabbed her purse, and she too rose to her feet. “Okay, sounds like a plan. Let’s go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ford took a deep breath, afraid in the face of a real vampire. He gave out an uncertain, “Hey.”

“The spike goes peck, peck, peck on your brain.” Drusilla peered into Ford’s eyes. “You made William very angry, made him into Spike.”

“What?” Ford looked confused for a moment, but then he remembered his dream. “He calls himself Spike because of that?”

“Hmmm, yes.” Drusilla leaned back. “He forgot for awhile about the sunshine, but now it has all gone bad. You bring me the nasty Slayer, and I’ll take away the pecking.”

“You’ll turn me?” Ford asked excitedly. “If I get Buffy for you, you’ll make it so I don’t die from the tumors? Thanks.” He jumped to his feet, and he rushed towards the entrance of the club.

Drusilla looked at the dead girl by her side, and in a lucid moment said softly, “Spike will never let you live, Carl. No matter what I try, he’s destined to stand in the warmth.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brenna looked around at the Slayer’s friends gathered in the outer part of the room. She found all of them to be an interesting collection of people. There were the two teenagers, Willow and Xander, the Slayer’s Watcher Rupert Giles, and lastly, the vampire Spike, aka William the Bloody. She knew another vampire was absent, but since no one else seemed to care, she didn’t mention him. Besides, it wasn’t the absent vampire that Buffy was calling out for anyway.

“Guillaume! Guillaume! Pourquoi sont vous ici?” Buffy cried out. “Vous savez que la maison pue avec la peste.”**

Brenna waved Spike over. “She calls for you.”

Spike went to Buffy’s side, and he took one warm hand in both of his own, and he spoke in French also, “Elisabeth, I couldn’t stay away. The plague won’t hurt me.” After a few seconds of holding the Slayer’s hand, he had a flash of insight into the life now playing out in the Slayer’s mind.

“Your hands are colder than mine, William. Are you already dead?” Elizabeth pouted. “You know I like it more when you call me Babette.”

“My sweet Babette,” Spike whispered. 

“Mother, Father, and all my little sisters are dead.” Elizabeth glanced to the right. Then she returned her attention to Spike, and she cupped his cheek with one trembling hand. “I think I am next, my beloved. I feel so cold now. I want you to always remember I love you.”

“I love you too,” Spike whispered. Even though he had no idea what was going on, he could feel a love for the Slayer running through him.

Elizabeth’s face saddened. “I know you don’t like to hear anything bad about your cousins, my beloved, but we were not sick until they sent the last food supply. I told Mother the meat smelled tainted, but we have been without for so long that she risked it anyway.”

“You’re right. I believe my cousins are to blame for this, Babette.” Spike’s earlier flash of insight had been correct.

“I hate your cousins, William. I hope Henry and Lillith rot in hell for what they’ve done to us.” Elizabeth let out a cough. 

Spike looked up at Brenna, and he mouthed the words ‘Cilla’ and ‘Liam’ to the therapist. Earlier, they had all found out that they were two people ultimately to blame for the situation the Slayer and the vampire were currently engaged in. He turned his attention back to Buffy. Finding out that the petite blond and he had spent a good eight centuries trying to find each other because of the actions of Angelus and Drusilla had the vampire very disgruntled. To find out during Buffy’s regression to the past that the love he’d never been able to fully grasp as his own was purposely kept from him destroyed whatever loyalty he felt for his Sire.

“Babette, my sweet, I don’t understand. Why would my cousin kill you and your family?” Spike asked in French.

“Lillith fancies herself in love with you of course.” Elizabeth’s face grew stormy. “She sent a long missive about the two of you being lovers, and that you planned on marrying her post haste. I didn’t believe it. I know you love me, William.” She coughed.

“My sweet Babette,” Spike whispered.

“Buffy, I want you to come forward in time until you are here with us again.” Brenna broke into the conversation between Spike and Buffy.

Buffy twitched slightly, and her eyes closed. When she finally opened her eyes again, she looked around at the people in the room. “Well, that certainly explains a lot.”

“I have a question?” Willow raised her hand. “What made them remember all this now instead of before?”

Buffy glanced at Spike. “Well, I think, and it’s only a thought, that in all the time between the start of this whole thing and now, we haven’t been supernatural before. I mean, we’ve been just normal humans. Nearly everyone involved is supernatural, including Drusilla and Angel.” Then she turned to Giles. “Something about your buddy’s spell too.”

Giles nodded as he contemplated the chaos spell that Ethan had cast. “The only problem I see is that we don’t know the parameters of the original spell cast by Elizabeth’s mother, and we won’t without Drusilla or Angel’s help.”

“I doubt Drusilla will help us,” Spike replied.

“Angel won’t either,” Buffy said with a note of finality in her voice. “In all of the lives I’ve seen, even when he didn’t interfere directly, he wasn’t much help.”

“I agree with Buffy.” Brenna looked at each of the Scoobies in turn. “She shouldn’t have to deal with someone who hurt one of her past bodies in the way that Angelus hurt Lizzie.” Her eyes landed on Xander, who Buffy had talked about in the first session. “No woman should have to.”

Xander looked down at his hands. As more time passed, the guiltier he felt for attacking Buffy while under the influence of the hyena demon. Xander let the conversation flow past him as he contemplated where he was in his life.

Willow let out a giggle. “Maybe we should hold a séance to contact Elizabeth’s mother.”

“Why hold a séance when I’m right here?” A female demon appeared out of thin air. She gave Buffy an indulgent look before she continued speaking, “I am Ceridwyn, patron saint of reincarnated souls, at your service.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** William. William. Why are you here? You know the home stinks with plague. (I used http://translation2.paralink.com/ for my translations)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

“Should I call you Mother?” Buffy asked. 

“No, my dear, Joyce is your mother now.” Ceridwyn gave Buffy another indulgent smile. “Of all your mothers, she loves you the very most.”

“So, is Buffy’s theory right?” Willow asked. She was a bit nervous talking to the demoness, but she swallowed her fears. “About the supernatural stuff, I mean?”

“Yes, very much so,” Ceridwyn answered. She went to sit down near Buffy. “You see, it was my anger and need for revenge that set you all on this path.” She turned to the Slayer. “Cilla and her father made you disappear, as I’m sure you found out during your regression session. I was so mad that I cursed them to living their lives over and over until you and your William found each other again.”

Buffy nodded, but she didn’t say anything. Having seen her past lives, she saw many times over a version of the original Cilla had tried to keep her and William apart. Most times, Liam went along with Cilla’s desires, even if he didn’t tamper with them directly.

“D’Hoffryn, the leader of the vengeance demons, thought my revenge was quite excellent, and he recruited me.” Ceridwyn looked around the room. “Once I realized what I had done, I tried very hard to correct it.”

“I don’t think it worked,” Spike drawled. “It’s been quite a few centuries since this little party started.”

“You’re right, William.” Ceridwyn nodded. “To break the cycle there must be a bonding of the souls that humans cannot do without some magical force in their lives.”

“Something we didn’t have before.” Buffy gave Spike a shy glance. “That doesn’t explain the gap between Lizzie and myself, or why Spike hasn’t been reborn.”

“I have an easy explanation for that,” Ceridwyn commented. “When Lizzie and William died that last time at the hands of Angelus and Drusilla, their souls intertwined together. The Powers to Be finally gave up on separating them, and I was able to intervene.”

“So Buffy’s got two souls?” Willow’s eyes opened wide. “Is that even possible?”

Ceridwyn turned to the red haired girl. “Not normally. Most reincarnated souls, such as your friend Ford, do not have lives that continually interact with the same reincarnated souls over many life times.”

“How did that happen by the way?” Brenna was busy taking notes.

“William, of course.” Ceridwyn nodded at Spike. “He made one last wish as he left Carl Pendergrass’ body after he used the spike on it.”

“That explains how the spell to find potentials did not locate Buffy,” Giles said in a slow, thoughtful voice. “I have always wondered about that.” 

“Yes, that’s right.” Ceridwyn turned towards the Watcher. “The same has actually happened to Cilla and Liam’s souls, although not to the same degree as William and Elizabeth’s. The difference is that Cilla’s soul has been reborn in a different body.

“Do we have to do the bonding right away?” Spike asked. In a way he hoped that the vengeance demon would say yes, but the William part of him told him that Buffy was too young for such a commitment. “I don’t mind claimin’ the Slayer, mind you. I’m just not sure if she’s ready to be claimed in such a manner.”

“Normally I’d say no, but I do worry about Angel and Drusilla.” Ceridwyn rose to her feet. “Your Sire is the one that called Ford to Sunnydale. She does not want the two of you to be together ever.”

Giles studied Spike as the others spoke. He turned to Brenna, and he queried, “What do you think, Ms. Hassib?”

Brenna looked up from her notebook. “I know of several soul binding ceremonies that do not require a mating commitment. I think Buffy and Spike need some more time to deal with ongoing issues before they commit to each other.”

“Yeah, Angelus and his Buffy obsession is one of those issues,” Spike muttered. He didn’t like how the older vampire was sniffing around Buffy, despite her apparent lack of interest. Not that lack of interest had bothered Angel before. He was just as likely to pursue an indifferent quarry.

“Drusilla will be another,” Buffy replied. “If she’s the reason Ford is here, then they might be working together.”

“We might have to eliminate her,” Spike said softly. There was no way he was going to let Carl Pendergrass and Drusilla hurt his girl, not when he had just found Buffy. His hand tightened around the Slayer’s.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Giles said. “However, dusting Drusilla won’t eliminate either this Ford person’s interest in Buffy or Angel’s, I’m afraid to say.”

“Too bad we couldn’t find Cilla’s soul. It’s obviously not in Drusilla now. Then, we could bind Angel and the new person together,” Spike observed. “It would get him out of our hair.”

“I will attempt to find out who this person is,” Ceridwyn commented. “I think she is someone particularly close to Angel right now.”

Buffy had a thoughtful look on her face. “I need to tell my mom first that I’m the Slayer and everything. I want her to be there.”

“I need to research the different ceremonies before we decide on which one to use,” Brenna said. “It’s very important that we choose the right one.”

“Well, I guess that’s it then,” Buffy said. She had a determined look on her face. “I’ll be telling my Mom about the whole vampire slayer thing again. Hopefully this time I won’t end up in the loony bin.”

“Maybe you should take a visual along this time, my dear,” Ceridwyn replied. “I’m sure Spike would be happy to help you demonstrate the existence of vampires.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Buffy chewed her lip. She turned to Spike. “Will you help me with my mom, Spike?”

“Only for you, Babette.” Spike gave the young Slayer a wink and a hand squeeze. He liked how she blushed under his gaze. He wondered how she still had that innocent quality that had clung to Lizzie. 

“D-do you need any help, Ms. Hassib?” Willow asked in a shy voice. “I think it’s fascinating.”

Brenna looked at the young redhead, seeing her with eyes that went beyond the physical. It was one of the many talents that went along with her species. Penhuibin demons were actually closer to being angels than demons. While they took over a human body much like a vampire demon did, it was a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitical one. “I would be happy to have you help, Willow.”

Willow’s smile brightened to sunny proportions. “I have some time after school tomorrow since Buffy doesn’t need French lessons anymore.”

“Oh you!” Buffy stuck her tongue out at her friend as Willow giggled behind one hand. The Slayer held her arm out to her red-haired girlfriend. “Escort my vamp and me home, Lady Rosenberg?”

“It’d be my pleasure.” Willow moved to hook her arm with Buffy’s. “I’ll come along to tell your mom if you like.” She flashed Spike a grin. “Just to be back up to the back up.”

“Why are you smiling at him like that, Willow?” Xander finally spoke up. “He’s an evil, bloodsucking fiend.”

Buffy and Willow were surprised by Xander’s outburst. He hadn’t been happy about Spike’s presence, but he hadn’t been so down on it before.

Brenna stepped towards the young man, and she put her hand on his shoulder. “I believe we have some issues we need to discuss.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Xander protested. There was no way he was going to spill his guts to a therapist. She was sure to call the authorities if she knew what his parents were like.

Brenna turned to the other Scoobies. “I think I need to talk to Xander alone for a few minutes. I’ll send him right out, if that’s okay?”

Buffy, Spike, Willow, and Giles went out into the outer office. The girls and vampire said their good byes to the Watcher, and they left the therapist’s workplace. Giles sat down to wait for Xander.

Inside Brenna Hassib’s office, Xander was anxiously awaiting to hear what the therapist had to say. He was almost frightened that she might be attracted to him. Not that Brenna wasn’t as beautiful as the fake Ms. French or Impata the Mummy woman, because she certainly was.

“I’m not interested in you, if that’s your worry,” Brenna said, inadvertently setting the young man’s mind at rest. “From your friend’s session I believe there are a few issues that we can talk about. I wish to see you once a week.”

“I don’t think my parents will pay for this.” Xander looked at everything in the room except Brenna Hassib. “They don’t believe in psychology or things like that.”

“I understand.” Brenna pulled out a business card, and she wrote down a time on the back. “You don’t know how many times I’ve run into that in my line of work.” She handed Xander the card.

Xander looked down at the time on the card. “I guess this will be okay.”

“Good. Good. Mr. Giles is waiting for you.” 

“Yeah, I gotta go.” Xander shot to his feet, and he hurried out of the office. Even though Brenna said she wasn’t interested in him, he wasn’t completely sure about her reassurances. His luck just wasn’t that good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel and Cordelia stood in the deserted principal’s office. Angel was riffling through the papers on the secretary’s desk.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Cordelia complained. “If we get caught, I’ll be in so much trouble.”

“There’s nothing here about that boy transferring here to Sunnydale High,” Angel muttered to himself. He glanced at the computer, and again he wished he understood modern technology better.

“You do know that Buffy can take care of herself, don’t you?” Cordelia took a compact out of her small purse, and she checked her makeup. “I mean really, can she be any more of a freak?”

“This is a dead end,” Angel growled. He looked around the office, his mind racing to figure out a way to find out some information. Normally he would have gone to Willow, but ever since the whole Halloween fiasco the Scoobies weren’t talking to him.

“You could always go to Los Angeles,” Cordelia said in a bored voice. She closed the compact with a sharp click. “He knew Buffy from before she moved to Sunnydale.”

Angel turned to look at Cordelia. “I agree. Let’s go.” He grabbed the young woman by the arm.

“Hey, watch the hands, Mister.” Cordelia gave the vampire a dirty look, but she followed him out of the office anyway. She followed him out of the school to where he had parked his car. Cordelia had no desire to go to L.A., but she knew if she wanted to get Angel’s attention away from Buffy she was going to have to get tough. She climbed in beside the vampire, buckled herself in, and grimly stared out the windshield.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ford stood outside Buffy’s house waiting for her to come home. His head was starting to hurt, but when he patted his pockets he realized that he had forgotten his migraine medicine. He glanced up when a car rolled slowly up the street to stop in front of the Summers’ house. Ford practically growled when he saw William hop out of the driver’s side.

“Fucking poet-boy,” Ford grumbled. He watched as Spike opened the passenger door to let Buffy and her little red-haired friend out. “Great. Just fucking great. How am I supposed to grab her now?”

Spike escorted the two girls up to the front door, and much to Ford’s chagrin the vampire did a big show of making sure they both got into the house. Then, the vampire strolled back to his car where he paused to pull out a cigarette to light up.

“I know you’re out there, Carl,” Spike said in a loud voice. “If Buffy doesn’t kick your arse, you can be sure I will.” Then the bleached blond got into his car.

Ford hissed in anger. William was not going to let him lose his prey this time. He was going to get a hold of Buffy, and he was going to give her to the female vampire. She would turn him, and he would live forever. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike headed back to the high school, hoping to catch Giles. After he parked, he walked towards the building where the library was located. He noticed a man in a suit and a briefcase walking towards the same building. Spike followed a few feet behind the man, who suddenly stopped.

“Oh God.” The man peered into the darkness. “Deidre?” 

Spike caught up with the man just in time to see the dead woman lurch out of the darkness.

“Phillip,” the dead woman hissed.

Phillip backed up, but he fell over a curb. He glanced up at Spike, and he cried out, “Please help me!”

Spike sighed. He didn’t know this guy from Jack, but he knew Buffy wouldn’t like it if he let someone get hurt. He stepped in front of the dead woman. “Can’t let you kill the human.” 

Spike slipped into game face, and he launched himself at the person who used to be Diedre. It was a short fight. As soon as Spike twisted her head from her body, she turned into a pile of slime. Spike turned towards the fallen man.

“Don’t kill me,” Phillip cried out.

“Come on, mate, if I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t have saved you from the zombie bint.” Spike shook off his vampiric visage. “Let’s get you inside. I’m sure Rupes has a glass of booze you can have.”

“You know Rupert?” Phillip looked skeptical, but he rose to his feet. He kept an eye on the vampire as he followed the bleached blond into the building.

The janitor shuffled up. He looked down at the slime. “Now what,” he sighed. As he turned to get his mop and bucket, the slime oozed over to encompass the janitor’s foot.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Ford cautiously entered the club where he had last seen the vampiress Drusilla. When he saw the creature that had once been William Jamison escort Buffy home, he knew he would be unable to lure the girl out of her house. He had briefly considered trying to tell her about how he had died in his past life, but he knew from his dream that Carl Pendergrass had attacked Lizzie Addams. Ford knew that capturing Buffy would take a bit more ingenuity and hard work.

“You failed.” Drusilla stepped out of the shadows. “Spike is on to you now as is the Slayer. You’ll never get her now.”

“Just give me some time to think,” Ford said. “I’ll figure out how to get to Buffy. Maybe if you turned me now, that would help. I need to be stronger than she is.”

“No, that will never do.” Drusilla shook her head. “My Lily flower has a better chance of getting to the Slayer than you.” She stepped closer to Ford, and she grasped his chin. “Be in me.”

Ford tried to back up. However his progress was stopped by a small but strong body behind him. He couldn’t help himself as he looked into the depths of Drusilla’s eyes, and Ford felt his will slipping away.

“Dinner is served,” Lily murmured. “I’m so hungry.”

“Eat, my sweet darling,” Drusilla cooed. “We have much work to do.” She cackled when Lily sank her teeth into Ford’s arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phillip followed the vampire into the school building. He was confused as to why the creature had helped him, but he wasn’t stupid enough to look a gift horse in the mouth. Phillip knew that his old friend Rupert had joined up with the Watcher’s Council and was now the current Slayer’s Watcher. He just hoped he wasn’t walking into a trap.

“Hey, Watcher,” Spike called out as he went through the library doors. “There’s someone here to see you.”

Giles came out of his office. His eyes opened in surprise when he saw who was behind Spike. It had been many years since he had seen Phillip Henry. “Phillip, what are you doing here?”

Under his old friend’s scrutiny, Phillip fidgeted with nervous tension. Situations like the current one made it hard for him to control his hyperactivity. “Have you been having the dreams, Ripper? I have. They’re getting worse, and Deidre’s dead.”

“Wasn’t that the zombie bint who attacked us outside?” Spike asked. “She won’t be a problem anymore.”

Giles blanched at Phillip’s words. He had hoped that the nightmares plaguing his sleep the past few days were just some kind of post traumatic stress. “He’s back, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is. He’s in search of all of those who wear his mark.” Phillip’s hand convulsively gripped his forearm.

Spike gave the two men a suspicious glare. “Is this something that’s gonna endanger the Slayer?” His eyes flashed yellow as he gave a menacing growl. “Anything that hurts Buffy is just gonna brass me off, you know?”

Phillip stepped away from the fuming vampire. He had always been sensitive to the moods of others, and he could feel the irritation pouring off Spike. “Uh, who’s Buffy?”

“Buffy’s the Slayer, you nit.” Spike sauntered into the library. He seated himself at the table. “I expect a full story, Rupes. Don’t even think of giving me some brush off version like you’d do to the others.”

Giles let out a sigh. He knew he didn’t dare hold anything back from the vampire. If he did, it could come back to bite him in the butt, and having seen Spike’s fangs he knew it would hurt. He gestured for Phillip to take a seat.

Phillip sat on the far side of the table from the vampire. He squirmed in his chair, not ready for the tale that Giles was about to spill. 

“When I was twenty one, I was in Oxford studying history,” Giles started. “At night it was the occult of course. There was the tedious grind of the studies and the overwhelming pressure of my destiny. Despite what Buffy may think, I do understand the strain of duty. After a time, Ethan Rayne and I dropped out and went to London.”

“That’s where Thomas, Deidre, and I met up with them,” Phillip replied. “It was fun at first, but then we got in deeper and deeper.”

“Quite right.” Giles folded his hands on the table. “We were practicing magick by then. You know, just small stuff for pleasure and gain. Then, Ethan found something bigger.”

“Eyghon,” Phillip whispered. He trembled in his seat.

Giles jumped to his feet. He went to the counter where he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “Yes. One of us would go into a deep sleep and the others would summon him.” He poured himself a drink. “God, we were such fools.”

“Didn’t figure out the consequences before you started to play, didya?” Spike grunted.

“One of us, John Randall, he lost control.” Giles took a hurried drink. “Eyghon took him whole. We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him.”

“No, we killed him,” Phillip whispered. “It was us, Ripper. We have to take responsibility for our actions.”

Giles sighed. He licked his bottom lip. “We thought we were free from the demon, but now he’s back.”

“Killing us one by one.” Phillip looked at Spike. “If you hadn’t been there, Deidre would have killed me.” He turned to look at Giles. “Sutcliff is dead too. I thought it was just a normal death until Deidre called saying she thought she’d seen him when I knew he’d been dead for two weeks.”

“So, it occupies unconscious or dead bodies?” Spike asked. “That’s gonna be like lookin’ for a needle in haystack here in Sunnyhell. There’re dead bodies everywhere. Blood hell, even that janitor we passed was dead.”

“What do you mean?” Phillip stared at Spike.

“The janitor was a vampire,” Spike said slowly as if speaking to someone who didn’t understand the language.

“We didn’t destroy him did we?” Phillip said softly. He looked around the room with a nervous look on his face.

“Doubtful,” Giles said. “Not when there’s still three of us wearing his mark.” His own hand went to his arm much like Phillip’s had earlier.

“Hmm.” Spike got up to pace back and forth. “So, what we need is some bait.” He turned to look at the two men. “Which we apparently have,” he said with a snort. “Then we need a dead body with a bigger, meaner demon than him.”

Giles stared at Spike for a few moments. “Which we apparently have,” he repeated Spike’s earlier words with a bit more sarcasm. “Anything to protect Buffy, right?”

“I only showed up to talk to you about the vamps that are gonna steal the hospital’s blood supply, and you’ve embroiled me in a mess,” Spike snarked. 

“Such is the life of a Scooby,” Giles snarked in return.

Spike rolled his eyes. “I’ve gotta get back to Buffy’s. Her mum should be home soon, and we’re slated to tell her about Buffy.”

“Phillip and I need to go look for Ethan. I have a feeling he didn’t leave town.” Giles went to get his coat. “Come on, Oggy. We’ll check out the store he had the costumes at first.”

“Oggy?” Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.

“My middle name is Ogden.” Phillip got to his feet. He wasn’t ready to go look for Ethan, but he wasn’t sure how to stall Giles.

“Be careful, Rupes.” Spike gave a wave as he strolled out of the library. “I’d hate for Buffy to break in a new Watcher.”

“You certainly keep the oddest company, Ripper,” Phillip said. “Do we really have to go find Ethan?”

“Sorry, Oggy, you know we do. I have no plans on being the bait for Spike’s plan.” Giles gave his old friend a wary grin. 

“Quite right, me either.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joyce parked in the driveway. When she got out of her car, she wondered who could possibly be the owner of the dusty classic parked in front of the house. Joyce locked her Jeep, walked up the sidewalk, and opened the front door. Once she stepped inside, she could hear her daughter laughing joyously in the living room. It had been a long time since Joyce had heard that particular sound.

“What happened next?” Buffy’s voice asked around the giggles.

A very amused masculine chuckle reached Joyce’s ears. “Then, dear old gramps committed mopery.”

“You got arrested because Angel exposed himself to a blind man?” Willow’s incredulous voice said.

Joyce put down her purse. She didn’t like the sound of what she was hearing. If this mystery man – and she wondered if he was the silent tutor from the year before – hung out with someone doing such a deviant act, she wasn’t sure he should be around her sixteen year old daughter. Joyce stepped into the doorway of the living room. 

Buffy and Willow were sitting on the couch, their homework spread out in front of them. Across the room in one of the straight back armchairs, sat a pale, bleached blond man that looked vaguely familiar to the eldest Summers woman. 

“Mom, you’re finally home.” Buffy got to her feet. “We were waiting for you.”

“Hello, Willow,” Joyce greeted the young red-haired teenager. Then she turned her attention to the man. “Who’s this, Buffy? Another tutor?”

“No, Mom.” Buffy came around the table, and she stood between Joyce and Spike. “This is Spike. We have something to tell you.”

“Oh my God, you’re pregnant,” Joyce said with a gasp.

Willow let out a bark of laughter. She quickly covered her mouth when the others looked at her, and she tried her best to muffle the giggles that threatened to pour from her lips.

“No, Mom, I’m not pregnant.” Buffy rushed to reassure her mother. She turned to glance at Spike for a second. “You know before in Los Angeles when I tried to tell you that vampires are real, and that I’m supposed to slay them?”

“Buffy, I thought we were past this.” 

“I can prove it this time.” Buffy reached her hand back for Spike who rose from his seat with a liquid grace that Joyce had never seen before. “Spike’s a vampire, Mom. He’s been one since 1880.”

“Why are you playing along with her delusions?” Joyce addressed the man called Spike. She let out a scream when his face shifted into that of a monster, and his eyes turned from a beautiful blue color to an intense yellow. Joyce glanced at Willow, but the teenager looked unconcerned. “I-I don’t know what to say.” 

“I’m sorry to spring it on you like this, Mom.” Buffy looked up at Spike with a worried look. She just hoped when they were done talking that her mother didn’t kick her out. “There’s just so much to tell you. I don’t know where to begin.”

“The beginning is always a good place, luv.” Spike squeezed the hand he was holding. He led her back to her spot on the couch before he returned to his own chair. 

“Please sit down, Mom.” Buffy gestured to another chair.

Joyce gratefully dropped into the indicated chair. She had no idea why the vampire wasn’t attacking, and why he was so courteous with her daughter. Joyce kept an eye on the male as her daughter started to speak.

“It started about two months before I burned down Hemery High’s gym…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel pushed the button to let the top down on his convertible. It was a nice night, and he wanted to see the stars. His Buffy was still avoiding him while hanging out with that little upstart Spike. Angel knew he needed to come up with an idea or plan that would get him back in the Slayer’s good graces.

“The wind will mess up my hair,” Cordelia grumbled. She smoothed down her brown tresses. “Can’t you put that back up?”

Angel ignored the complaining young woman. He still had no idea why Cordelia came with him on his trip to Los Angeles to check up on Ford. He peered off into the darkness, his mind furiously thinking about Buffy and Spike.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

SJORNJOST MEDIEVAL VILLAGE 880

As D’Hoffryn led his newest recruit away from the scene of her crime, he heard the transformed lover scream out, “This is your entire fault, Aud. I wish for you to learn the agonies of love. I wish for you to find your soul mate. May you live until that time occurs.”

D’Hoffryn looked to the future. His Anyanka had over 1150 years to wait for her soul mate to be born. It was a good thing that he was going to elevate her to vengeance demon status. Being reborn over and over really sucked, but he felt that he needed to honor the wish.

D’Hoffryn sighed to himself. He really needed to find a person just right to cover reincarnation. He really had better things to do with his time than that particular line of vengeance. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

D’Hoffryn knew that it was time to fulfill a very old wish. Anyanka’s soul mate was born, and he was old enough for them to meet. He called for Ceridwyn to join him. He waved her to a chair before he started to speak. “Anyanka is going to be leaving us soon, my dear.”

“Is something wrong?” Ceridwyn would miss her old friend. Anyanka was the one who had shown her the ropes of being a vengeance demon when she ascended.

“Nothing is wrong besides the fulfillment of a very old wish.” D’Hoffryn shook his head. “Your daughter’s young friend Xander Harris is Anyanka’s mate.”

“That boy is Anyanka’s mate?” Ceridwyn questioned. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve been sure since the day I elevated her, my dear.” There was a great resolve in the demon’s words. “I shall miss her too, but the man she wronged had great vengeance in his heart. I couldn’t deny him.”

“Please tell me you have a suitable replacement.”

“I know you don’t care for Halfrek.” D’Hoffryn patted Ceridwyn’s hand. “You will see your vengeance even against her one day.”

“So you say.” Ceridwyn avoided the elevated Cicely Underwood. She held no respect or love for the role the woman had taken in the last life that her daughter had lived. She only acknowledged the other demon if her boss required it of her.

“I have the perfect person in mind to replace Anyanka.” D’Hoffryn gave a toothy grin. “Our dear patron of scorned women will soon be visiting a lovely young woman by the name of Lilah Morgan. She will be the perfect replacement. I shall call her Lilith for she shall bring disease, illness, and death to all those that she breezes by. She is as ruthless and ambitious as she is beautiful, much like the original Lilith.”

“As always, I bow to your wishes.” Ceridwyn tilted her head to her master. She vowed to go take a look at this Lilah Morgan as soon as time allowed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Joyce stared down into the depths of her drink as if the answer to her dilemma would appear by magic. If everything her daughter had told her was true, it could very well happen. Buffy’s words were confirmed and reconfirmed by Buffy’s friend Willow and the vampire Spike.

“Have we met before?” Joyce looked at the vampire again. He looked vaguely familiar to her.

Spike looked a bit sheepish, but a quick glance at Buffy seemed to reassure him. “You laid an axe upside my head, and you told me not to touch your daughter.”

Joyce glanced at Spike and Buffy’s joined hands. “You don’t take direction very well, do you?”

Willow let out an inelegant snort. “Doesn’t stick to a plan very well either.” She started to giggle.

“Oi, I can stick to a plan just as good as the next vamp!” Spike glared at the sniggering teenager. “I’m just impatient.”

“Yeah, that’s why you showed up at Parent-Teacher night instead of waiting till Saturday to kill me,” Buffy teased.

“I don’t understand.” Joyce glanced between her daughter and the vampire. “Buffy, if he tried to kill you, why did you invite him into our house? Shouldn’t you be worried or something?”

“Oh, that’s a different story entirely,” Buffy sighed. “During Halloween, one of Giles’ college buddies did a spell on our costumes. I remembered a past life. Since then I’ve remembered more during a hypnosis session with my therapist.”

“Reincarnation is real?” Joyce asked in surprise.

“It’s a curse actually,” Willow said. She went on to explain the research that Giles found out during his study on the phenomenon. She took great joy in being about to recite the knowledge she had gleaned with the older man. “Souls can only be reincarnated as an act of vengeance. The soul will be reborn over and over until the terms of the curse are met.”

“Who hated you in this past life to do something like that to you?” Joyce looked at Buffy in shock and horror. It was hard enough coming to terms with the whole Slayer thing, but to find out Buffy was the victim of a curse was more than the older Summers woman could handle.

“The vengeance wasn’t against Spike or me. It was against those who separated us from each other, and those two spent centuries keeping us apart.” Then Buffy went on to tell her mother about the information they had learned from the regression session, Ceridwyn’s visit, and the soul binding ceremony.

“This is a lot to take in, Buffy,” Joyce said at long last. “I’m going to need time to process all of this information.”

“I understand.” Buffy nodded. “I’ve had a while to adjust to it all. I’m just really curious who the heck has Cilla’s soul this time around.”

“You’re not the only one, luv.” Spike chuckled. “I just hope it’s someone that can bring the broodin’ poofter to heel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Angel stumbled out of the demon bar with his perfectly coifed do barely intact. He glared at Cordelia who was sitting in the car brushing her hair. “You could have gone in there and backed me up you know.”

“You’re the big bad vampire,” Cordelia said with a roll of her eyes. “I might break a nail if I went in there. I just got a manicure.”

“Whatever.” Angel shook his head. How did he end up with such a vapid tagalong? Who had he insulted in some former life? “We’re going to a karaoke bar called the Caritas. The Host will help us with our problem.”

“I certainly hope so,” Cordelia muttered. Why did she decide to come along with this idiot? What on earth had Buffy seen in him before she latched onto Spike instead? Who had she insulted in some former life? She stared off into the darkness of the Los Angeles streets while Angel maneuvered the car towards their destination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Phillip peered out the window of Giles’ old gray Citron. “I know this town of yours isn’t that big, Ripper, but how on earth are we going to find Rayne?”

“We’ll start at the costume shop.” Giles turned down the street where the shop was located. “Maybe he left some kind of clue behind.” 

Phillip made a noncommittal sound in his throat. “Want to tell me why you’re hanging out with a vampire? Thought you were in the vamp dusting business now.”

“These are strange times we live in.” Giles gave a half-shrug. He parked in front of the store. He and Phillip emerged from the car. “Let’s see if those lock picking talents of yours are still good, Oggy.” Giles gestured towards the door.

“Won’t someone call the police if they see us breaking and entering?” Phillip gave his old friend a look of astonishment.

“This is Sunnydale, old man,” Giles chuckled. “Breaking and entering doesn’t even merit a raised eyebrow here.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Phillip knelt in front of the door. He concentrated on the lock and all of its mechanisms. In a few moments the lock clicked open. Phillip turned the door handle, and the door swung open to reveal a chaotic mess inside the store.

“You can’t come in…” Ethan Rayne came from the rear room. He broke off when he saw his old pals, and he backed up before trying to make a break for it through the curtains that led to the back of the store.

Giles and Phillip leapt towards Rayne. They each grabbed an arm, and they easily subdued the other man. The three of them tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs and grunts.

“Get off me,” Ethan grunted. “I’ve been a good boy, Ripper. Been minding my own damned business.”

“Yeah, but he’s back, and we need some bait.” Giles stood up, and he dragged Ethan to his feet. “You’re the lucky winner today. You just volunteered.”

“Yeah, right,” Ethan scoffed. “You and Oggy here elected me to be bait. Now, which he are you talking about?”

“Eyghon, of course. Did you really think we would be able to run forever?” Phillip answered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

The janitor, a minion by the name of Chad, stumbled away from the school. Inside him he could feel his vampire demon fighting a losing battle against the other invading demon. 

Chad was a young demon, and on top of that he was a very lazy demon. He had decided early on that hunting was more work than it was worth. That was why he worked at the school as a janitor. That way he’d have money to just buy his blood from Willy. He didn’t drink any of that pig swill, but Willy’s provided human blood a lot easier than beating up a human to get it.

Chad stumbled past the Enchanted Forest Shop into Miller’s Woods. Within minutes Chad was suppressed and Eyghon ruled the body. The human features were replaced by the demonic visage of the conquering demon.

“Nice body,” Eyghon hissed. “But not as nice as one of my own marked servants. This one is too limited.” He knew the body he inhabited had certain limitations he wasn’t willing to deal with on a permanent basis. Being out in the sunlight was the biggest of those vulnerabilities. He needed to find a hiding spot.

“Hungry too,” Eyghon growled. “Time to find some succulent young thing to feed on.” He used his senses to select where the most human signatures were gathered, and he set off in search of a meal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Giles and Phillip strong armed Ethan out of Giles’ car and up the stairs outside the high school.

“Ouch,” Ethan complained. He pulled against the hands that restrained him. “Can’t you two be a little gentler on the merchandise?”

“Do you ever shut up?” Phillip tightened his grip on Ethan’s arm. He directed his next comment to Giles. “I don’t remember him talking this much before.”

“His need to hear himself speak has grown exponentially over the years,” Giles said with a smirk. “You should have heard him last week after he did a chaos spell.” He pulled Phillip and Ethan into the shadows when Principal Snyder appeared at the doorway of the high school. Together the three Brits watched the shorter man stride away with great confidence.

“Does he have any idea about Sunnydale’s night life?” Phillip asked. “He seems to have a great amount of confidence.”

“He’s the big fish in our little pond, Oggy. Of course he has confidence.” Giles pulled his keys out of his pocket, and he fumbled with the lock on the school door. 

Ethan pulled away from Phillip, thinking that Giles was preoccupied with the door. He had only made it one step away when a young man he recognized as one of the Slayer’s friends appeared on the inside of the school holding a cross in his hand. Giles immediately dropped his keys back into his pocket, and he grabbed Ethan’s arm.

The boy opened the door from the inside. He stepped back to let the three older men enter the school, and he took a quick look out the door before he closed it.

“Xander, what are you doing in the school?” Giles asked in a concerned voice. If it hadn’t been for the cross still clutched in Xander’s hand, he would have been worried about the teenager.

Xander gave an evasive shrug. “It’s not a good night to be at home.” He led the way to the library. He glanced over his shoulder once before asking, “So, this is the guy who made us all become our Halloween costumes, huh?”

“Ethan Rayne, Esquire, at your service,” Ethan said pompously.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Honestly, other than the ability to put an M-16 together in fifty-seven seconds, something I couldn’t do before, it wasn’t all that much fun.” He pushed the doors of the library open. 

Giles and Phillip manhandled Ethan into a chair that was set inside the book cage. After they tied and gagged the reluctant guest up, they stepped out of the cage. They quickly locked the door behind them.

“We need to take turns guarding against Eyghon.” Giles crossed the room to the counter where he pulled out several crossbows. “If he shows up, we need to be prepared to wake the others. He can take over anyone who is dead, unconscious, or sleeping.”

“I’ll take first shift,” Phillip replied. He went to the counter. “Jet lag is quite the downer.”

“I’ll go last. I need to be up early anyway.” Xander shrugged. “I’m seeing Brenna Hassib before class.”

Giles nodded. “Let’s get some rest then. Wake me in two hours, Oggy.”

Phillip nodded his agreement. Then, Giles and Xander found places to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“You okay, boss?” Deke asked as he put a SeaBreeze on the bar beside the Host. He glanced at the stage. “What you’re seeing can’t be worse than their singing.”

Lorne reached for his drink. “Oh, sugar, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

Deke’s eyes went back to the stage, and he shuddered. “They’re not planning on singing the extended version are they?” He wasn’t sure how much more torture his ears could take.

“I’m afraid so.” Lorne sighed. “I’ll have to take that song off the play list after this. I’ll never be able to listen to it again without flashing back.” The green-skinned demon winced again. He took another swig of his alcohol while he waited for the vampire and his companion to finish their painful rendition of one of his more popular karaoke duets.

Angel put the microphone down, and he rushed over to the Host. “Well?” he demanded. “What did you see? What should I do to help Buffy?”

“I keep telling him she doesn’t need his help,” Cordelia huffed.

Lorne held up his hands in surrender when the vampire stood over him almost menacingly. “Where is a good inter-dimensional portal when you need one?” he muttered under his breath. “I wish one would suck these two away before I have to tell them what I saw.”

“Wish granted.” The woman sitting next to Lorne still faced the bar while she whispered the words. With these two gone, Elizabeth and her William would have much less opposition to their destiny.

Behind Angel and Cordelia a portal opened up, sucked them in screaming, and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Across the ocean, in Wesley Wyndam-Pryce’s room, another portal opened, dropping a human female dressed in sack cloth onto the startled Watcher trainee’s floor. Winifred Burkle was finally home. She wasn’t on the right side of the ocean or the right continent, but she was finally in the right dimension.

Lorne stared at the spot where Angel and Cordelia Chase had just been standing. “What on earth was that?”

“You wished, I granted.” The woman swung around on bar stool. “Thank you. I’ve been hoping for some revenge on their souls for many centuries.”

Lorne held out one hand towards the woman. “I’m the Host, but you can call me Lorne.” Anyone that had that kind of power wasn’t someone he wanted to trifle with. He assumed she was a vengeance demon of some sort.

The woman took Lorne’s offered hand. “Ceridwyn, patron saint of reincarnation, at your service.” She chuckled. “Did you know that you mutter under your breath when you read your singers? You might want to watch that. Some information in the wrong hands could be catastrophic.” 

“You ready, Ceri?” Anyanka returned from the bathroom. “My next client is about to make her wish.” She hurried towards the door.

“Certainly.” Ceridwyn dropped Lorne’s hand. “It was nice to meet you.” With that she followed behind her friend.

Anyanka and Ceridwyn popped into another bar. This one was much swankier than the last one they were in. They went inside where they found an elegant dark haired woman knocking back whiskeys like a seasoned alcoholic. 

“That fucker used me to advance his career,” Lilah Morgan muttered. “Lindsey McDonald is going to rue the day he crossed me. I wish every male employed by Wolfram and Hart anywhere in existence would become dickless. It’s the least they deserve.”

“Wish granted,” Anyanka giggled. “Hoffy is going to reward you for this one.”

“Yes, you and her both,” Ceridwyn said cryptically.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Buffy followed Spike to the door. “You’re not going back to her, are you?” She tried hard not to feel jealous.

“Not hardly, pet.” Spike turned to smile at Buffy. “Dru’d probably stake me in my sleep.”

“Where are you gonna stay then?” Buffy worried her bottom lip with her teeth. 

“I’ll find someplace. There’s sure to be more than one deserted place to crash in this town. Don’t worry so much.” Spike reached out to pull Buffy’s lip from between her teeth. “You’re gonna hurt that pretty little lip of yours doing that.”

Buffy stared up into Spike’s face while he continued to rub the plump softness of her mouth. She felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath. “Is this us, or am I just feeling what all the girls before me felt?”

“Does this feel like us?” Spike leaned down to place a chaste kiss on Buffy’s lips. He pulled away when she moaned and tried to deepen the kiss. He smirked down at her. “I should have known the only thing better than killing a Slayer was loving one.”

“You better not be loving any other Slayers to test that theory out,” Buffy snarled. “You’re mine.”

Spike chuckled at the Slayer’s jealousy. “All yours, I promise. Now, my love, I bid you adieu.” He leaned over Buffy’s hand, and he gave it a kiss.

“À demain,Guillaume,” Buffy whispered. She escorted Spike the rest of the way to the door, and after she closed the door behind him, she let out a contented sigh. _God, he can kiss, and we haven’t even gotten to the sexy ones yet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song sang by Angel and Cordelia for Lorne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7SEmOq8API&feature=PlayList&p=6145E6FDA710DDD5&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=13


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Eyghon licked his lips in anticipation. There were so many sweet, young bodies just ripe for the plucking. He inhaled deeply, grateful for the enhanced senses of his vampiric host. He didn’t have any preferences himself, but the vampire liked succulent blond girls.

Eyghon searched the crowd for a female that matched the description made by the host. His eyes fell upon the perfect specimen. As Eyghon moved closer to his intended victim, he could hear her whiny, snooty voice. His host shivered in anticipation. That was one thing about taking over for a vampire demon. Unlike other kinds of dead hosts, the vampire wasn’t really gone.

“Then, Cordelia told me to get lost. Who does she think she is?”

The blonde’s entourage nodded in agreement.

A smirk settled on Eyghon’s face. This one was weak in her mind and her will. She was everything he could possibly want in a minion. He flashed the vamp’s face at the hanger-ons as he approached. Eyghon promptly forgot about the other girls as they scurried away. The shark like grin on his face scared off anyone else who might have realized that he had set his sights on the young woman.

Harmony whirled around when she felt someone behind her. She had vaguely wondered why her friends had scurried away so fast. She wrinkled her nose when she saw the janitor uniform on the approaching male. “If you think I’m dancing with you…” she trailed off in disgust.

Eyghon quickly assessed the young woman’s most hidden desire, and he leaned down to whisper, “What if I told you I that knew how you could stay as beautiful as you are in this moment for many years to come?” 

Harmony stared at the average looking man. She knew she was beautiful. After all, everyone said so. She didn’t want to lose it any time soon. Harmony flipped back her long hair. “What do I have to do?”

On the inside, Eyghon smirked while he thought, _Humans are so easy._ Outwardly, he held out his hand, and said, “Come with me.”

Harmony took the man’s hand with a smile. She fantasized about years in the future when she still looked young and toned while that bitch Cordelia was old and saggy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Spike strolled into the factory. He had no plans on spending any more time in the dilapidated building with his Sire. She had made her choice when she summoned the git Ford. All Spike needed was his things. He waved over Dalton. “Come here, book boy.”

“Master Spike, you’ve returned.” Dalton’s eyes darted towards the door of Drusilla’s quarters. The insane vampiress wasn’t easy to live with on a good day, but lately it had been hell on the minions.

Spike’s gaze followed Dalton’s to the portal to the other room. He let out a put upon sigh. He knew how Dru operated. “Has she destroyed m’belongin’s?”

“I saved what I could, Master Spike.” Dalton didn’t tell the master vamp that he had saved the belongings merely to stay on the older vamp’s good side. He was hoping that Spike would take him along where ever Spike was leaving to.

“Put it in m’car. I’ll go keep the bitch busy.”

Dalton hurried off to do as he was instructed. Eavesdropping on Drusilla’s crazy mumblings had informed him of little except the insane woman’s unhappiness with her Childe and Sire. To tell the truth, Dalton would rather take his chances with the Slayer than Drusilla. At least dusting at the end of Buffy Summers’ stake was quick and painless.

Spike stared in disgust at the writhing pile of naked flesh on the bed. He had nothing against watching two hot chicks getting it on, but the disdain he now felt for his Sire colored his every thought. He wondered now what he had found so attractive about her before.

Drusilla looked up from the thighs of her newest Childe. When she saw Spike standing there, she forgot all about her anger with him. She was sure she could entice him to forget about the Slayer. “My Spike, come join us,” she said above Chanterelle’s disgruntled groan.

Spike gave a snort of contempt. “Don’t bloody think so, Dru. I can’t dust you m’self. I still feel too much for you, but I won’t stop the Slayer from stakin’ you.” He gave the vampire club groupie a hard glare. “She’ll be stakin’ your little playmate too.”

Drusilla changed into vamp face, and she hissed at Spike. “I kept the two of you apart before. I can do it again. Daddy will help me.”

Drusilla’s words made Spike realize that the bonding ceremony needed to be done sooner rather than later. “Your daddy’s too busy playin’ house with the bint with your soul. He won’t be any help.”

Drusilla snarled before she started to rise from the bed.

Dalton appeared at the door. “Your things are in your car, Master Spike.”

Drusilla scowled at the minion. Her golden eyes flashed in anger at the man’s words.

“You really are a piece of work, aren’t you, Dru?” Spike shook his head. “I was just too pathetically enamored to notice.” He turned his head to glance at Dalton. “Add yourself to m’belongin’s, book boy.”

Chanterelle leapt to her feet ready to defend her Sire. She launched herself at the bleached blond interloper. She had no idea who this male was, but he wasn’t going to interfere with her and Drusilla. Chanterelle let out a surprised grunt when Spike’s fist connected with her cheek. Her body flew through the air to smack into the far wall.

Drusilla screamed at Spike. She rushed at him, her fingers outstretched in claws. Before she reached him, she fell to the ground with a shriek. “No, Daddy. Don’t leave me!”

Spike gave a disgusted shake of his head. _How on earth did I put up with her sack of hammer shite for so long?_ He turned away from the woman who raised him from the mediocrity of William’s life and made him grand. Spike had to admit though that without Dru turning him into a vampire, he and Buffy might have lived out God only knew how many more lives before they were able to break the vengeance curse set upon them.

As Spike climbed into his Desoto, it occurred to him that Ceridwyn was probably more responsible for his circumstances than Drusilla ever was. He just wished he had his memories of his former incarnations or at least the same things Buffy remember. Spike didn’t realize he whispered the wish aloud.

Spike let out a gasp when his mind filled with lifetime after lifetime of memories.

“Are you okay, Master Spike?” Dalton asked in a timid voice.

“Just peachy,” Spike replied in a dry, sardonic tone. “Let’s go find a new lair. Let’s hope it’s one the Slayer’ll like.” He started the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

Xander paced around Brenna Hassib’s office. His body was tense with nervousness. Therapy wasn’t his idea of fun. Any more speculation on the position he found himself in was interrupted by Brenna’s soft, no-nonsense voice.

“Good morning, Xander. I’m glad you made it. Please come into my office.”

Xander looked at the attractive dark-skinned woman, and he wondered what her story was. What events in her life made her decide being an angel-like demon was better than being just a plain, old human? “I almost didn’t, Mrs. Hassib.”

Brenna smiled at the boy. She could tell he was nervous. “Please call me Brenna. Mrs. Hassib is Ali’s mother.”

Xander followed Brenna into the inner office. He took the seat across the desk from the therapist. He looked around the room at the certificates before he returned his gaze to Brenna. “So?”

“Tell me about yourself.”

Xander reluctantly launched into the story of his life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

LATER THAT SAME DAY

“How was your first session with Mrs. Hassib?” Willow asked Xander while they walked down the hall towards the library.

The young man shrugged. “It was fine, I guess.”

“That’s good. Right?” Willow glanced at Xander. She thought he was so boyishly handsome. Now, if he’d only notice her. “I tried to call this morning to remind you about the appointment, but you must have left already.”

Xander glanced around to see if Snyder was anywhere nearby. The little troll didn’t need to overhear what he told his friend. “I spent the night in the library. I helped Giles and his buddy watch Rayne.”

“Oh, they found him!” Willow looked delighted.

“Yeah, apparently he was hanging out at the costume shop.”

Willow and Xander arrived at the library. When they slipped inside they found Buffy and Giles strategizing on the elimination of Eyghon.

“I hate sitting around doing nothing, Giles,” Buffy protested. “You and Spike are gonna take care of everything without me.”

Giles awkwardly patted Buffy’s shoulder. He was still uncomfortable showing his young charge affection, despite his growing fatherly love for the girl. “I know that, Buffy. Think of it as a lesson in patience and delegation.”

“Buck up, Slayer.” Spike appeared from the stacks, having snuck in the back way. “I’m sure I can round up a few minions you can play with.”

A bright smile broke out on Buffy’s face before she jutted out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout. “You’re teasing me again, aren’t you, Guillaume?”

Spike put a hand on his chest. “Miss Summers, you wound my fragile ego.” He winked at the startled Watcher. His posh accent wasn’t something he threw around very often.

Both Giles and Buffy snorted. William’s ego might fragile, but both the Slayer and the Watcher knew the vampire’s constitution was far heartier.

“I’ve got some news,” Spike announced, ignoring the snorts. “Rumors on the demon grapevine say that dear old grandpa and a dark haired bint disappeared into a vortex in Los Angeles last night.”

“Oh my!” Giles muttered. “I had hoped that Cordelia’s absence this morning was because she was ill or otherwise busy.” He noticed the others giving him questioning stares. “I check the attendance rolls every morning to see who is missing school.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “What on earth is she doing with him?”

“Maybe she’s the one Ceridwyn mentioned having that bitch’s soul,” Xander said. “You know the one that started this whole shebang?”

“Miss Kendall didn’t show up either,” Giles commented. “I had hoped they had made up enough to be off doing something together.”

Buffy tilted her head in thought. She didn’t like Harmony, but if the other blond wasn’t with Cordelia, she could be in trouble. After a moment she turned to Willow and Xander. “While Giles, Spike, and I take care of Ethan and his demon, I want you to try to find out what the Cordettes know about Harmony’s disappearance.”

Xander sighed. He really hated talking to the clique-ish ‘in crowd’. “Do we have to?” he whined.

“You want to go after the monster?” Buffy raised her eyebrow. “Or the bimbo?”

Xander tapped his chin. “The monster won’t make the next two years living hell…”

“Unless you’re livin’ in hell, Harris,” Spike quipped.

“You haven’t seen my family. Hell might be an improvement,” Xander muttered in a dry voice.

Spike glanced at Buffy before he replied, “I’m stayin’ in the biggest crypt in Restfield in you ever need a place to get some kip. Just tell book boy you’re with me.”

“Book boy?” Buffy asked. “Crypt?”

“I’ve got a minion by the name of Dalton. Dru was a right bitch when I dumped her sorry arse.”

Another, brighter smile broke out on Buffy’s face. She launched herself at Spike. She gave him a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re finally away from her.”


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

“Me, too.” Spike returned Buffy’s hug. “So, you have the bait. Are we ready to set the trap for this demon of yours, Ripper?” 

“As soon as it gets dark,” Giles agreed. 

“I guess we’re off to check up on Harmony,” Xander replied. “How about you come with us, Buff? You speak cheerleader-ese better than Willow or me.”

“I don’t like it, being out of the slaying loop,” Buffy pouted. “I’m the one that’s supposed to slay the evil things.”

“We’ll let you slay the next evil beastie that comes along, pet. I promise,” Spike chuckled.

“I’m holding you to that.” Buffy stepped away from Spike, and she turned to Willow and Xander. “Let’s go snoop around the Cordettes.”

Spike watched Buffy’s departure before he turned to Giles. “So, when do we start demon huntin’, Watcher?”

“The demon will find us,” Giles said. “Oggy, Ethan, and I each have the tattoo. If we stick together, Eyghon will come to us.”

Spike shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Are we doin’ it here at the Hellmouth?”

Giles tilted his head in thought. “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. This isn’t the best place for a confrontation, as you well know.” He smirked at Spike.

Spike ignored the other man’s smirk, and he replied, “We should move to a more accessible location.”

Rupert narrowed his eyes, and his gaze fell upon his old buddy Rayne. “How about Ethan’s costume store? It’s over on Elm Court.”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you and your buddies there.” Spike gave Giles a salute before he exited the library.

Buffy, Willow, and Xander found the Cordettes in the student lounge drinking sodas. The Scoobies got their own drinks, and they sat at a nearby table where they quietly chatted while eavesdropping.

“Can you believe that skanky guy Harmony left with last night,” Aura said.

Aphrodesia wrinkled her nose. “I think he was wearing janitor clothes. How gross!”

“Has anyone heard from Cordelia?” Gwen asked. She had her compact out, and she was checking her makeup and hair.

Aura paused for a moment. “You know, I haven’t. Not for a few nights.”

“Not since she was hanging out with that older guy with the poufy hair.” Aphrodesia flipped her red hair out of her face. She got a mock scandalized look on her face. “You don’t think they eloped to Vegas do you?”

Buffy, Xander, and Willow finished up their sodas, tossing the cans in the recycle bin, before they made their getaway. They wanted to talk, but they knew they had to do it out of earshot of the Cordettes.

“Well, now we know,” Xander said. “Gotta say I never saw Harmony as the type to hang out with a mere janitor.”

“So, what did he say to her to get her to agree to leave with him?” Buffy mused.

Willow shrugged. “What does every Cordette want?”

“I don’t know.” Xander shook his head in a confused manner. “Those girls scare me.”

“Marry rich, do as little as possible, and stay as beautiful as long as possible.” Buffy realized Xander and Willow were staring at her. “What? I’ve been a Cordette before.”

“When was the last time?” Willow asked. She knew Buffy had been more popular in Los Angeles than in Sunnydale, but Buffy had never struck her as being as vapid as Harmony.

“You mean besides this time in Los Angeles?” Buffy gave her friend a wide-eyed innocent look.

“Buffy’s right though,” Xander commented. “Harmony had to be given a good reason for leaving with a guy dressed like a janitor.

“If it was a vamp or demon, we’re probably already too late.” Buffy blew out a sigh. “We still need to try to find her though.”

“How?” Willow asked.

“I haven’t a clue.” Xander shook his head. “I wish we had ourselves a bona fide magic user to do some kinda locator spells for us or something.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Olaf wished what?” Anyanka screeched.

“He wished for you to feel the agonies of love by finding your soul mate,” Ceridwyn said calmly.

“But I don’t want a true love. Men are poop heads,” Anyanka exclaimed.

Ceridwyn let out a chuckle. “You’re over a thousand years old, and that’s the best insult you can come up with?”

“Well, you know, it’s from that time all the men on the planet spent a week with heads made of poop.” 

“That was before my time,” Ceridwyn replied. “Now, you must hurry to your true love, my dear. He’s wished for you.”

“For me? You got to be kidding?” Anyanka grumbled.

“Well, not his true love, I’m afraid. He wants a bona fide magic user to do a locator spell for him.” Ceridwyn chuckled. “That’s you, my dear. So, off you go with Hoffy’s blessing.”

“What about my job? Who will be the patron saint of scorned women?”

“Why the lovely Miss Morgan, of course.” Ceridwyn smirked. “I went with you for a reason, Anyanka. I recruited her as your replacement. Her revenge on Wolfram and Hart was ingenious.”

“I was in on that wish too,” Anyanka huffed.

Ceridwyn patted Anyanka’s shoulder. “I know, my dear.”

“Who is this true love you’re trying to pawn off on me?” Anyanka demanded to know.

“He’s Xander Harris, a friend of the Slayer’s who is the reincarnation of my daughter,” Ceridwyn said softly. “He has a few problems, but what man doesn’t? Also, I want to say that I feel a tremendous amount of power in Buffy’s little female friend. She needs help too.”

Anyanka looked at Ceridwyn with curiosity. “When was the last time you had orgasms with a man?” she asked.

A dreamy smile settled on the other vengeance demon’s face. “Too many years, my dear. Far too many years. Enough about my love life, it’s time to deal with yours. Off you go.” Ceridwyn waved her hand, and Anyanka popped out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Lindsey McDonald, at your service.” The Wolfram & Hart lawyer handed the dark-haired vampiress a business card. “I understand you wish to hire assassins to take out some bothersome competition?”

Drusilla took the card from Lindsey. She peeked at him from beneath her eyelashes, and she wondered if there was any way to eat the cute boy once their business was finished. “Lies and licorice and Kapthain tails. That’s what wicked little lawyers are made of,” she smirked. She held the card close to her face while running her finger down the edge until a small cut appeared.

Lindsey arched an eyebrow in exasperation. When he got back to the office, he was putting in for more pay and some vacation time. Not only was he dealing with a crazy creature, but he’d also woken up that morning with a vital piece of his body missing. “This is a business transaction. If I wanted mystic mumbo jumbo I’d have stayed in Los Angeles and talked to the seers at work.”

Drusilla licked the droplet of blood forming on her finger, and she started to sway back and forth hypnotically. “Two bad boys battling for center stage, but there’s no applause at the end. One hand clapping makes no noise. No noise at all, but that’s all changed now.”

Lindsey had enough of this nonsense. He gritted his teeth, and he growled, “Do you, or do you not, want to hire the Order of Taraka to get the Slayer out of your way?” He wasn’t even supposed to be here. This was that bitch Lilah Morgan’s case after all.

Drusilla removed her finger from her mouth with a pop. “Of course I do. They must kill my naughty dark prince too. It’s the only way for him to be reborn again.” An evil smile crossed her face. “I will find him when he is young and malleable.”

“I don’t need to know anything else.” Lindsey gathered his belongings together. “The assassins will be here within days.” He marched towards the entrance of the dirty, dusty factory with a look of disgust on his face.

“Can’t we eat him?” Chanterelle whined. “He looks like such a stuck up square.”

Lindsey stopped in his tracks, and without turning around he said, “Death doesn’t get you out of a Wolfram & Hart contract, I’m afraid. I hope you have the money to pay for our services or you might just find yourself slaving away forever for them.” Then, he strolled out of the factory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I haven’t a clue.” Xander shook his head. “I wish we had ourselves a bona fide magic user to do some kinda locator spells for us or something.”

Anyanka appeared in front of the young man who squeaked in surprise. She studied him for a moment. There just had to be a way to get him interested in somebody else. She was Anyanka, patron saint of scorned women, not the playmate of a little boy. “Wish and I shall appear. Shall we have our orgasms now or later?” If nothing else, she could make him so uncomfortable he would never consider approaching her. 

Problem solved.

“I … who … what?” Xander stammered. He blushed a deep crimson that stained his cheeks and ears.

Anyanka laughed at the boy’s embarrassment. This might be easier than she first thought.

“Who are you?” Buffy asked in curiosity. Both Spike and Ceridwyn had changed her view on demons in general. Buffy was willing to go against her natural urges to stake first and ask questions later.

“I am Anyanka. Ceridwyn sent me to help you.” Anyanka gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Oh that’s great.” Willow looked at Buffy and Xander. She felt a twinge of jealousy.

Anyanka turned to the red-haired girl. She gave Willow the once over, feeling the girl’s jealousy in her mind. “She said I needed to help you too, girl. It seems you have more power than brains.”

“Hey, Willow’s the smartest person I know,” Xander protested.

Anyanka gave a shrug. “Whatever.” She wondered if there was a way to pawn her ‘soul mate’ off onto someone else. She had no plans on giving in to this boy. She wanted a man.

Buffy watched the other three with a growing amount of suspicion. There was something going on, and she wasn’t sure what it was. She decided she’d talk to Spike about it later. Right now they had a vapid blond to find. “We need to know where a girl called Harmony Kendall is. She disappeared from the Bronze last night. That’s never a good thing in Sunnydale.”

“Well, that should be easy enough.” Anyanka nodded. “You have anything that belongs to her?”

“No, but her locker is just down the hall.” Buffy pointed towards a locker that had pink flower decals all over the front.

“Perfect.” Anyanka swept down the hall leaving the children, as she saw them, behind her. She touched the locker for a moment, and she used her vengeance demon powers to locate Harmony. “She’s downtown on… hold on… I’m trying to see the street sign. Oh, Elm Court. She’s outside a business of some kind.” Anyanka tilted her head. “Some kind of costume shop. Is she an ugly demon with pointy ears?”

“No, she’s an airhead, but I think I know where she is,” Buffy replied. “Ethan’s store is on Elm Street.”


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

“You won’t get away with this,” Ethan yelled. He pulled against the restraints that kept him in place on the chair.

Spike leaned his own chair back on two legs. “Who are you gonna report us to? The Wanker’s Council?”

Ethan sneered at the vampire. “What are you here for again?”

“You’re the bait. I’m the weapon.”

“You’re being awfully casual about this,” Phillip commented. He was worried that Eyghon would be able to overpower the vampire. Then, they’d all be dead men.

“I’m a vamp. I’m casual about everything.”

Just then a blond girl burst into the store. She might have been pretty – she had a nice enough body – but it was hard to tell because of the demonic visage. The female ignored Spike, and she went straight for Phillip. In an unnaturally deep voice, she said, “It’s your turn.”

“No, he’s the one you want.” Phillip pointed at Ethan.

“I’ll get to him eventually,” Eyghon hissed. She advanced on Phillip, but before she could reach the man Spike stepped in front of her.

“I don’t think so, luv.” Spike grabbed the girl around the throat, and he started to choke her. After a few moments of intense wrestling between the two demons, Spike had the upper hand.

Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Anyanka arrived just in time to see Eyghon leap from Harmony to Spike. They watched in horror as Spike’s demon and Eyghon fought for dominance inside the vampire’s body. His face shifted back and forth from the vampire to Eyghon for several intense, suspenseful minutes until finally Spike was able to throw the other demon out of his body.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief when Eyghon, unable to find a host body, crumbled into dust. Buffy rushed to Spike’s side when he collapsed back against his chair. “Spike, are you okay?”

“Just fine, luv,” Spike panted. Fighting off the other demon was harder than he had anticipated, but he was never going to admit to it. “It was a kick ass fight, if you ask me.”

“Ow,” Harmony whined. She rubbed her neck where Spike had choked her. “That hurt.”

“Looks like Harmony’s still the same,” Xander said out of the side of his mouth to Willow, who covered her mouth to hide a giggle.

“Not quite,” Harmony hissed. She shifted into game face. 

Xander let out a little shriek, and he jumped back from the vamped Cordette. “Be gone, foul creature.” He dug around in his pocket for the crucifix he carried for just such occurrences.

“What a wimp.” Anyanka rolled her eyes. She stepped in front of Xander to confront the fledgling. “Honestly if you want a job done, send a woman. Stake please, Slayer.”

Buffy cleared her throat in surprise, but she handed her stake Anyanka anyway. That was something she hadn’t expected from the vengeance demon.

Anyanka plunged the stake towards Harmony’s chest with ease. “There. Easy as pie.” She tilted her head. “Is pie easy?”

“This is so Karmageddon,” Harmony muttered before she turned into dust.

“Karmageddon? What the bloody hell is that?” Spike muttered.

Buffy burst out laughing. “That’s like bad vibes to the max, and some tubular serious bummer time.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Americans.” 

“Valley girls,” Buffy countered. “Not just Americans, but Californian Americans. The best kind if you ask me.”

Xander raised his hand. “Sunnydale, bred and born.”

“Me too,” Willow said softly. “So, anyone wanna go to the Bronze? The night is young.”

Buffy gave Willow a sly smile. “That cute guitar player was checking you out the last time we were there.”

Willow’s face turned as bright red as her hair. She slapped Buffy’s arm in a gentle rebuke. “Stop it. There is no way he’s going to notice me.”

“I don’t see why not, Red,” Spike drawled. “You’re a fine lookin’ bird.”

Ethan snorted in disgust. “Well, the danger is averted. Hey, Ripper,” he said even louder. “You can let me go now.”

Giles emerged from the back of the store. “I’m not sure that’s entirely a good idea,” he stated. “If we let you go, you’ll cause more problems.”

“Who is this handsome hunk of a man?” Anyanka exclaimed. She licked her lips while her eyes glazed over. “Orgasm city,” she said under her breath.

“Hey, I thought you were here to give me orgasms,” Xander protested.

“Yes, but you’re a boy. I need a man.” Anyanka marched over to Giles. She gave a wave of dismissal towards Xander. “I think I’ll keep this one. Go find yourself some young strumpet to mess around with. In a few years, I’ll be happy to grant whatever wish she needs to have done.”

“Okay.” Buffy glanced at Spike. She was a bit weirded out by Anyanka’s interest in her Watcher. Not that Giles wasn’t an attractive man, but it felt like her parent was dating for the first time since a divorce. “This is getting really weird. Can we just go to the Bronze?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“What on earth is she doing?” Ceridwyn growled when she saw Anyanka’s antics with the Scoobies.

D’Hoffryn patted Ceridwyn on the shoulder. “Despite destiny, some of us still have free will, Ceri,” he said softly. “Buffy will soon learn she has free will too.”

“She’s the Slayer,” Ceridwyn said. “How can she have free will when it comes to that?”

“When is another Slayer called?”

“When Buffy dies, another will be called,” Ceridwyn replied. “She won’t have too many choices to make then.”

D’Hoffryn nodded. “Buffy drowned in May. Her little friend revived her.”

“Oh my, that does put a spin on things.” Ceridwyn studied the face of her resurrected daughter again. “That’s good. She needs some say in her life for a change. Now, let’s go take a look at that idiot vamp and that little bitch of his.” She shook her head. “She has the soul of Cilla, but none of the memories I’m afraid.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

MEANWHILE IN PYLEA

“More cows to sell.” Klempt rubbed his hands together. He crept closer to the young human sitting on the bank of the stream.

“When I get back home, you are in such big trouble, Angel,” Cordelia muttered. “I’m going to tell my father about you.”

Angel stood up suddenly, surprising the approaching demon with his presence. “Like I really care what your father has to say to me,” he grumbled. “Let’s get moving before something attacks us.”

“How am I going to do that, brain trust?” Cordelia held up one of her high-heeled shoes. “These aren’t exactly hiking boots.”

Angel let out an exasperated huff. “I’ll give you a ride than, princess. Let’s get a move on.”

Klempt’s eyes lit up when it dawned on him that he might have stumbled upon royalty. He could hold the princess hostage. Her father was sure to pay big bucks for this cow princess’ return. “Can’t do this one alone,” he murmured. “I need to get my brothers to help.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I’m a little more concerned about things other than a crazy vamps need for revenge.” Holland Manners waved a hand towards his crotch. He looked around at the lawyer Lee Mercer. “Where the hell is Lilah this morning? If she had anything to do with this, there will be hell to pay.”

Lindsey rolled his eyes. “Of course it was Lilah who did this. Bitch couldn’t play with the big boys. So, she thought she’d take us down a notch or two.” A grin spread across the Oklahoman’s face. “Too bad she messed with the wrong big boys.”

Manners narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What do you know?”

“On the way here, I saw one of the Seers get blasted out of the White Room.” Lindsey shrugged. “Apparently we lowly lawyers weren’t the only ones to lose our dicks. The Senior Partners are not at all happy right now.”

“Oh boy,” Manners muttered. When the Senior Partners were unhappy, everyone needed to tread lightly. Something needed to be done. 

Fast.

With a nod that was more confident than he felt, Holland glanced at Lee Mercer, one of Lindsey’s team mates. “Mercer, contact Littlecook. If anyone knows where the heck Lilah is, he will.”

“That’s Littlecook, sir,” Mercer replied. “We will start our search for Miss Morgan right away, sir.”

“Suck up,” Lindsey grumbled under his breath. 

“Lindsey, grab one of the interns. You’re in charge of returning us to normal,” Holland said. He waved his hand in the air. “Hire whoever that loony bird Drusilla wants hired. Take it out of the Heinrich Nest account. She’s his family after all.”

“Yes, sir.” Lindsey gave the two men a salute. Leaving the office, he wondered which intern he should choose: the pretty brunette, the fiery redhead, or the smokin’ hot blond bombshell. Too bad he couldn’t do anything about it at the moment.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Lindsey rubbed his forehead. The female intern he’d chosen to help him, a young woman by the name of Jennifer, had turned out to be the worst mistake he had ever made in his life. Her child-like voice grated on his nerves.

“Lindsey-poo, which button turns on the computer?” Jennifer’s voice crackled through the intercom.

“I wonder whose dick she sucked to get a job here,” Lindsey muttered. 

“Lindsey-poo, your appointment is here.”

Lindsey hit the ‘on’ button. “Send him in, Jennifer.” Then, he sat back to wait for the head of the Order of Taraka to arrive.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

Lindsey leaned back in his chair, and he put his hands behind his head. “So, can you take out the Slayer and her vampire?”

Rama Bowstring studied the human in front of him. He hated humans. They were fragile and puny. Even the ones that he allowed into his service were the same. With a sneer on his handsome face, Rama replied, “Of course we can take out the Slayer. Do you think you are the first to wish such a happening?”

“No, and I’m sure I won’t be the last,” Lindsey said with confidence. “This Slayer isn’t like the others. She has family and friends, something to live for.” He handed Rama a folder.

Rama took the folder as if he was receiving a deadly serpent from the lawyer. “Doesn’t matter to us. The Order of Taraka always gets their prey. Always.” He rose to his feet, and he left the office without saying another word.

“I need to get a different job,” Lindsey muttered under his breath. “I should have told Mom to go to Hell when she said she’d love a lawyer in the family.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Ah, Miss Rosenberg, come on in,” Brenna called out when she saw the teenage girl enter the outer office. “I’ve been researching the difference in the bonding ceremonies.”

Willow shuffled into the office, and she laid her book bag down on the couch. She hovered for a moment before she settled into a chair across the desk from Brenna. “Have you decided which one would best for Buffy and Spike?”

“Yes, I chose a bonding ritual that my husband will perform.” Brenna handed Willow a piece of paper from the desk. “It’s also known as the anamchara, meaning ‘soul friend’. Since we’re attempting to balance Spike and Buffy’s souls between them, I thought it would be the best one.”

Willow looked over the paper. “What do you need me to do?”

“If you have the time, I’d appreciate you picking up the candles and other required items from the magic shop downtown.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Willow nodded. “Right after school. Today’s Career Day though. So, I might be a bit late depending on which career I get picked for.”

“That’s okay, dear,” Brenna said. “We won’t be doing the ritual until tomorrow anyway. I hope you enjoy your day though.” She gave a laugh. “When I had Career Day in high school, I ended up being told I’d make a great park ranger. Look at me now.”

Willow hid a giggle behind a hand. “Yeah, I can’t wait to see what they tell Buffy she’ll be good at. Being a Slayer kinda makes it hard to have a career I suppose.”

“I suppose,” Brenna said thoughtfully. That was something she hadn’t thought about when she first started counseling the young woman. Willow was right though. Having a normal career and being the Slayer didn’t exactly go hand in hand. “I think I’ll talk to her about that during our next session. Thank-you, Willow.”

“You’re welcome.” Willow glanced at the clock. She tucked the bonding spell ingredient list into her backpack. “I suppose I best get a move on.” 

THE NEXT DAY

Hassib looked around the room. When his wife Brenna asked him to perform a bonding ritual that would help two souls separate, he had been skeptical. His disbelief rose when he heard one of the participants was a vampire.

Then Hassib met Spike and the Slayer.

Now, Spike and Buffy were sitting cross legged inside a ring of protection made of sea salt, surrounded by white candles. Their hands were bound together with a silk scarf, and between them they held a ritual knife known as an athamé pointing upwards. Hassib mentally shook himself. He needed to guide them through the rite, not let them get lost because his mind wandered.

“Breathe deep,” Hassib said softly. “You are falling deeper and deeper into your trance.”

_Buffy and Spike walked down a long hallway, their hands still tied together in the spirit world. Deeper and deeper they wandered until they came to a door with the sign ‘Akashic’ hanging above it._

_“I think we’re here,” Buffy said._

_“Yeah.” Spike studied the sign. He had an unsettled look on his face. “What if this changes how we feel about each other?”_

_“Our feelings haven’t changed in centuries, Spike,” Buffy said softly. “In fact, I think even if we’d never remembered who we were before, that there’d be something between us.” She grinned. “We’d have denied it till we were blue in the face, but it would have been there.”_

_Spike nodded. He remembered his first glimpse of Buffy dancing in the Bronze._

_Hassib appeared beside Spike and Buffy. He bowed his head. “You are right, Slayer,” he said before he pushed the record room door open. “Even if you hadn’t been reincarnations, you would have been drawn together. Tragically, their love life would reflect your own, but we are here to change yours anyway.”_

_The three supernatural beings stepped through the door into a large airy room._

_“It is here we will separate your souls and bind your lives together,” Hassib said. “Point the athamé towards the ceiling so it can find what we’re here for.”_

_Spike and Buffy raised the knife upwards. They interlocked the fingers from their other hands just before a bright light flowed down into the athamé._

_Hassib grinned when the light surged through Spike and Buffy. He loved it when he helped people find themselves. Under his breath, he said, “Soul to soul, I separate you. Soul to soul, I bind you. Two halves, one whole. Soul to soul.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

PYLEA

Klempt followed the cows. The female one grumbled and moaned continuously while the male grunted monosyllable responses. If he could just herd them in the right direction, he’d be set. Klempt quickly decided the first thing he was going to do was figure out a way to gag the female cow. By the Kravetez Cow, she was a noisy one. The male cow had more patience than he did.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Klempt trailed behind the cows. He had decided a few hours before that the female cow called Cordelia would need her tongue removed after capture, and he was gaining more and more respect for the male cow Angel.

“This is all your fault. If you hadn’t kept chasing Buffy after she clearly dumped you, we wouldn’t be in this hellhole.” 

Klempt’s eyebrows raised in shock when the male finally broke his silence.

“Cordelia, I’m getting really hungry here,” Angel growled, and his eyes flashed yellow. “If you don’t want to be dinner, I suggest you shut the fuck up.”

Cordelia opened her mouth to speak, but a shaft of bright light struck her before she could utter a single word. She was pushed against Angel’s body. Then, the light flowed through her body to enter Angel’s too. They both threw their heads back with a scream.

Klempt scrambled backwards away from the screaming cows. He had no idea what was going on, and he sincerely hoped he didn’t get caught up in the backlash.

The light vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Cordelia and Angel both fell to the ground. New memories – well, technically very old memories – swirled around in their brains.

“What the hell?” Cordelia muttered. She rubbed her forehead when a particularly horrible past life memory hit her. “What is all this crap? I’m some little girl that you killed in a village. I said you had the face of an angel.”

“Past lives,” Angel whispered from the onslaught of remembrances of his own reincarnations. “That little girl was my sister.”

“Then, you kill me again and turn me into a vampire!” Cordelia reached out to punch Angel in the nose.

“It was you that started the whole thing,” Angel snarled in return. “I remember now. Just had to have little Willy even though he wasn’t interested in you at all.”

“It was your plan in the first place,” Cordelia screamed. “I might have that soul, but I’m so glad I’m not interested in that bleached blond 80’s reject. Buffy is welcome to him forever!” She felt something deep inside her break loose when she made the declaration. Cordelia knew that whatever had kept the four souls, including her own, caught up in a vicious cycle of pain and agony for centuries had finally been shattered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Drusilla let out a wail of pain and anger when she felt that the tenuous hold she had over Spike dissipated. She let out a wail that brought Lily to her side.

Rama Bowstring watched the female vampire with cold, calculating eyes. His assassins were already on their way to take out the Slayer and her vampire companion. He was glad his pay had already come from the Aurelian coffers at Wolfram and Hart.

“You need to leave now,” Lily hissed at Bowstring. “Mistress Drusilla needs to be alone right now.”

Bowstring gave a half bow, and he turned to leave the warehouse. He was just happy to get away from the vampires. He wondered if the Order of Taraka should have a new rule that included not being hired by the undead. 

“What’s wrong, Sire?” Lily asked in her most soothing voice. She adored her Sire, even if Drusilla was completely insane most of the time.

“He’s gone!” Drusilla shrieked. She took a swing at Lily. “He’s mine, not hers. I’m the one that loved him best!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

1400s AD

_The witch was led towards the gallows. She held her head high, ignoring the jeers and insults that were sent her way. She didn’t even flinch when a well-aimed stone hit her on the side of the head. When she came abreast with her accuser she stopped dead in her tracks, and she gave the dark haired woman a cool look._

_“Clara Francis,” the witch said. “He will never love you. No matter what you do, he’ll never be yours.” Then, she continued towards her death._

_**Whore** , Clara seethed to herself. **That is where you are wrong.** She gave William Stafford a sly glance. **William has always been mine, and now I’m going to make sure of it.**_

_William watched as the love of his life, Beth, walked up the stairs of the gallows. How he hated Clara Francis at the moment. His Beth wasn’t a witch, but Clara had accused her. William was sure that she had bribed the witch hunters with sexual favors, but he couldn’t prove it. He fisted his hands when the hangman put the noose around his beloved’s neck._

_Clara watched with silent glee when Beth died quickly of a broken neck. She’d rather the whore’s death had been more painful, but really one couldn’t be choosy. Now that all the eyes of the village were on other things, it was time to make her move on the widower William. **Stupid fools,** she thought to herself. **They wouldn’t know a real witch if she came up and cursed them, which of course is exactly what I’m going to do**_

_William turned away from the spectacle of people jeering at his Beth. He shook his head at their ignorance before he trudged towards the small cottage that they had been so happy in before Clara and her jealous accusations had destroyed it. He trudged home, sadness nipping at his heels._

_Clara made her way home with a secret, little smile on her face, glad that her father wouldn’t be home until sunset. Once there, she closed the curtains up tight, and she gathered her supplies. It was time to make sure that William was bound to her body and soul. She removed her clothes, and she started to prepare her magic for the spell work. Behind her a fire roared in the hearth._

_William tied the rope into a noose. He bowed his head while he mustered his courage. “Beth, my beloved,” he whispered. “I will be with you soon.” With a sigh of resolve, he flung the rope around a rafter, tied it off, and crawled up onto a chair. Then, he slipped the noose around his neck._

_“Hecate.” Clara raised her hands into the air. “Make him mine now and forever.” She threw a handful of magical dust into the fireplace. “So mote it be.”_

_William kicked the chair away, and the rope tightened around his neck, bringing the darkness of death to him._

_“Nothing stands between us now,” Clara whispered to herself. She quickly dressed, and she removed all the evidence of her magical spell. Then, she started to prepare not only her father’s meal, but something to take to William. “He’s all mine,” she cackled._

_The next morning, Clara gave her father a kiss on the cheek before she set off to William’s house with a basket of treats. She put on an innocent, demure look on her face while she passed the neighbors. When she got to William’s house she tapped on the door. Then, she looked around, and when she saw that nobody was around, she tried the doorknob. It turned easily in her hand._

_The door swung open, and Clara stepped inside William’s house. She let out a gasp when she saw William’s body dangling from the rafter. His usually handsome face had turned ugly with death. It only took Clara a minute for her surprise to turn to anger. She stomped her foot._

_Clara growled in rage before she schooled her features. Then, she dropped her basket, and she let out a terrified scream. She guessed she could always settle for second best. Liam Dowe would just have to do for her plans._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Buffy rolled her eyes. “So, they finally posted the assignments for the career fair, and you won’t believe where they put me.” Spike and she were on their way to the ice skating rink for a little alone time.

“Can’t be that bad, luv.”

“Law enforcement, Spike!” Buffy exclaimed. “Can you see me as a cop?”

“Uh, Slayer? Isn’t that kinda what you do now?” Spike chuckled. Since the ritual that had bonded him with Buffy, he’d found bantering with her had moved to a new, more comfortable level.

“You agree?” Buffy stopped in her tracks. “Me? A policewoman.”

“Sure. You already police the monsters of Sunnyhell. Why not the pulsers too?” Spike shrugged. He patted his pockets. “Shouldn’t we be to the rink already? I have Dalton’s directions here somewhere.”

Buffy glanced around. “A couple of more blocks.” She and Spike started walking again. “Things have been intense since the spell. How have you been feeling?”

“Different,” Spike admitted. “I think … well, I’m sure William is here.” He touched his chest.

“Is that good or bad?” Buffy asked. 

“I don’t know yet, pet. When I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.” 

“Okay,” Buffy said. She knew that Spike was adjusting to knowing all of their past lives together just as much as she was. She hoped that this life would be their final one apart. “How exactly are we getting into the skating rink? I thought they were closed on Tuesdays.”

“Had Dalton call up the owner and rent the place for a few hours,” Spike informed Buffy. “He’s not much of a hunter. Prefers to bribe people to do what he wants.” He pulled out a key on a chain, and he dangled it in front of Buffy’s face.

“You’re so sweet,” Buffy cooed. She leaned up to kiss Spike’s cheek.

“Bite your tongue, Slayer.” Spike’s protest came out as a whine. “I’m bad, rude man.”

“Maybe, but William’s as sweet as chocolate.” Buffy snatched the key from Spike’s hand, and she unlocked the front door of the ice skating rink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Rama Bowstring mentally flipped through the files on all of his assassins. “Your mission, if you should decide to accept it…” he trailed off. “Norman Pfister, Patrice Bergeron, and Sully Suiterman. They haven’t had a good kill lately, and they’re already in state.” 

Rama always used a trio of assassins to get his prey. That way if one failed there were two in the wings. Not that he had ever failed to eliminate his target. His Order had a reputation to uphold, after all. Rama pulled out his phone, and he dialed a familiar number.

“Hey, Bowstring,” Sully’s voice came loud and clear across the line. “Heard you were in my neck of the woods. I’m already in Sunnydale. Where do you need me?”

“I only just decided to use you.”

“I’m the all seeing, all knowing Sully,” Suiterman laughed. “Besides, today is a good day to die. Bright sunny day like this.”

“Good to know we’ll get our targets,” Rama said. “Did your all seeing eye tell you the targets too?”

“A Slayer and a vampire,” Sully replied. He realized that the boss didn’t understand what he was predicting. None of them were going to survive going up against the Slayer and her vampire lover. They were as good as dead. Sully just hoped that his death would be a good one. 

“That’s right,” Rama replied. “I have it on good authority that they’re at a skating rink this afternoon. Alone. It would be a good time to take them out.”

“I’ll be there, with bells on.” Suiterman took a deep breath. 

“Great. I’m at the Belmont. Meet up with me when you’re done.”

“It was nice knowing you, Rama Bowstring.” Then, Sully Suiterman rang off with visions of his death filtering through his head. He could run away and not take on the Slayer and the vampire at the skating rink. He could live to fight another day, but that wasn’t his way. He’d face his death head on.

Rama stared at the phone after Suiterman hung up. He was confused by Sully’s parting words. Did that mean what he thought it meant?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Kendra watched the vampire and a young blond girl take out the Order of Taraka assassin she was following. They worked well together despite Kendra’s thoughts on exactly how evil they probably were.

“Slayer,” the vampire shouted out when the assassin slammed the girl across the guard rail. “Let her go.” He leapt onto the assassin’s back.

For a moment Kendra thought the vampire was yelling for her, but then she realized he was speaking to the blond. “No way,” she whispered. “I am de vampire Slayer. How can there be two?”


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

 

Kendra trailed a few blocks behind the other Slayer and her vampire. They both moved at a fast pace while keeping on the alert for any attacks. Kendra’s Watcher had always warned her that things could be odd on the Hellmouth, but this wasn’t something that she’d anticipated.

 

When the other Slayer and vampire entered the local school, Kendra snuck in behind them. She followed their voices to the library where they were talking to several other people. Kendra found this all very confusing. Her Watcher had always told her that Slayers were supposed to work alone and in secret.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

“You were attacked by a human?”

 

“Yes, Giles, that’s what Spike said,” Buffy replied with a huff. “We searched the body, and we found this.” She handed a business card to the Watcher. All that was printed on the piece of paper was some kind of symbol that neither she nor Spike had recognized.

 

“Hmmm,” Giles hummed. He took the card and studied the symbol. “It does look vaguely familiar. I’ll take a look in my books. Hopefully, I’ll have something by morning.”

 

“Thanks, Giles. You’re the greatest.” Buffy grinned at Giles. She glanced at the clock and sighed. “We best get patrol over with, Spike. Tomorrow is the second half of career day, and I got roped into helping set it up. I swear Coach Goodletts is almost as bad as Snyder. I need to be here an hour earlier than usual.”

 

“Of course,” Giles said absentmindedly. He gazed up towards his research books. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

 

While Spike and Buffy said their good-byes to Giles, Kendra ducked into a darkened hallway. When the Slayer and the vampire had passed by her and left the school, she went to the library door. She took a deep breath to brace her courage, and she knocked loud enough to get the Watcher’s attention.

 

“Come in,” Giles called out. He wondered who would be knocking at the door at this time of night.

 

A young dark-skinned girl shyly pushed to door open. Giles didn’t recognize the young woman, but Sunnydale High did have about 1500 students, and he knew he didn’t recognize a great many of them.

 

“Hello, sir. My name is Kendra, and I’m de vampire Slayer.”

 

“Oh, dear Lord,” Giles muttered.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

THE NEXT DAY

 

Joyce opened the front door on her way to work, and she gasped in surprise when she saw the short, balding man on her porch.

 

“Good day,” he said. “I’m Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics.” He held up his case. “I was wondering if I might interest you in some free samples.”

 

Joyce shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I have to be at work early today.”

 

Norman looked past Joyce into the house. “Maybe someone else in the house would be interested.”

 

“No, I don’t think so.” Joyce closed the door behind her while she crowded Norman off the porch. She didn’t like how the man was casing out the house. “Nobody living here is interested in any free samples.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry to have bothered you,” Norman said. “Do you think any of your neighbors would be interested?”

 

“I don’t know,” Joyce said. She decided that she’d call the school as soon as she got to work to tell Buffy about this encounter. “You’ll have to ask.”

 

“Quite right.” Norman tipped an imaginary hat at Joyce before he turned around to cross the street towards the house across the street from Joyce’s.

 

Joyce watched Norman until he was stepping onto the McNeil’s porch before she found her car keys to leave for work. She drove quickly, but safely, to the art gallery she managed. Once there, she called the high school library using Mr. Giles’ private extension.

 

“Sunnydale High School Library. Mr. Giles speaking.”

 

“Hi, Mr. Giles, this is Mrs. Summers. I know Buffy had to come in early to help with Career Day. I need to talk to her.”

 

“Is there something I can help you with?” Giles asked.

 

“Last night Buffy told me that I needed to let her know if I saw any strangers hanging around,” Joyce answered. “There was a man trying to give out free samples at the house before I came to work. I just thought she should know.”

 

“That doesn’t bode well.” Giles glanced at the symbol on the card on his desk. He now knew that the symbol represented the Order of Taraka, a group of assassins that didn’t stop till their target was dead. He also knew that they worked in trios. “I will send someone by your house to check on that.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Giles. He said his name was Norman Pfister.” Joyce hung up the phone, and she turned to do her work. Unpacking crates of art pieces was not as easy as people thought.

 

Giles slipped the receiver back on the cradle while he thought about whom to send over to Buffy’s house to check on the stranger. Just then Kendra and Xander came in the library door. Earlier, Giles had caught Xander, introduced him to Kendra, and asked the teenager to give the new Slayer a tour of the high school.

 

The night before had been a revelation for Giles who had not given much thought to the fact that Buffy had actually been dead for a few minutes the past spring. Kendra was the perfect Slayer in that she knew the rules and the lore of what a Chosen One really was. Unfortunately, Giles didn’t think the shy, modest girl would survive in the ways that Buffy had already managed to do in her short time as a Slayer.

 

“Xander, Kendra, I need you to check something out for me,” Giles said in lieu of a greeting. “Mrs. Summers called to tell me there was a man at her house trying to give away free samples. He might be one of the assassins after Buffy.”

 

“Will do,” Xander said in a cheery voice. “Anything to get out of U.S. History.”

 

“I thought you were excused to attend the Career Fair,” Giles commented while he looked over his glasses at Xander.

 

“Not from U.S. History. Mrs. Delany is really mean. She likes to flunk me just for the fun of it, I swear,” Xander answered. 

 

Giles waved Xander away. “I’ll write you an excuse,” he said. “Be careful. If this man turns out to be an assassin, he’ll be ruthless.”

 

“We will be very careful, Mr. Giles,” Kendra said. She bowed her head at the Watcher.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

“I’m off to the law enforcement booth,” Buffy told Willow. “How exciting.”

 

“It’s not that bad.” Willow patted Buffy’s arm. “I think you’d make an excellent law enforcement officer.”

 

Buffy glanced around. “Probably.” She noticed a short, dark-haired, vaguely familiar boy staring at Willow from one of the couches. “Hey, Will, there’s a guy checking you out. He’s standing in the sun, looking pretty human.”

 

Willow looked over at Oz, and she gave the boy a little wave. “That’s Oz. He’s expressing computer nerd solidarity. We had a good time yesterday with the recruiter from the software company.”

 

“Doesn’t look like that to me,” Buffy whispered slyly. “I think this is the one you should carpe diem.” She slipped away when Oz stood up and ambled towards Willow. She didn’t want to mess up her friend’s chance with the cute guy.

 

“Hey,” Oz said.

 

“Hey,” Willow replied with a smile. “Oh, hey. Your hair is brown.”

 

Oz chuckled. “Yeah, sometimes. So, are you gonna be a Corporate Computer Suit Guy?”

 

“I probably should finish high school first. What about you?”

 

“I’m not really a computer person, you know, or a work of any kind person.” Oz shrugged. “I just test well.”

 

“Ah, so, if you’re not into work, what are you into?”

 

“E-flat, diminished ninth.”

 

Across the room, Buffy signed her name on the clipboard on the law enforcement table. Then, she joined the other teenagers who had also selected to learn about being a police officer. 

 

A red haired female Sunnydale officer picked up the clipboard. “Good morning. My name is Patrice Bergeron. When I call your name, please raise your hand.” She looked down at the list. “Buffy Summers?”

 

Buffy raised her hand.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

Cordelia glared at Angel. “You know what? I’m through with you too. I hope you spend the rest of eternity alone!” she screamed. She turned and stomped off in the direction that Angel and she had just came from. When she saw Klempt spying on them, she snarled viciously.

 

“Cow,” Klempt muttered contemptuously.

 

“Who you calling a cow, you great big green goober?” Cordelia growled.

 

“What’s a goober?”

 

“You are!” Cordelia stalked past Klempt. “Now, get out of my way. Queen C is going to rule this god forsaken place, or I’ll die trying.”

 

Klempt stared at the cow in astonishment. She was a queen! This was the perfect opportunity for his family to gain some power. He dropped to his knees, and he laid his face on the ground. “Your majesty, how may I serve you?”


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Buffy raised her hand.

The policewoman set down her clipboard, and she pulled out her service revolver. Before anyone could react, she started firing in Buffy's general direction.

"Watch out!" Buffy yelled.

The other students screamed while they scattered out of the path of the bullets.

"Oz!"

Buffy heard Willow's shout followed by a grunt of pain. She quickly glanced around, and she noticed that the young man her friend had introduced her to earlier was clutching his bleeding arm.

"What's going on here?"

The Taraka assassin turned towards the voice, and she fired again.

Principal Snyder fell backwards with a bullet between his eyes.

"Crap," Buffy muttered. She disliked Snyder because he was such a little Nazi asshole. However, in no way had she wanted him dead. Buffy knew she had to get the assassin away from the other kids.

Buffy ran down one of the hallways leading away from the crowd and away from the busier sections of the school. The problem was that Buffy wasn't anymore immune to bullets than the rest of the school population. 

Buffy burst out the front doors of the high school. She barely noticed the two extra police cars and patrol officers. Buffy glanced around while she decided where to go next.

"Are you okay, miss?" Arlo Simmons, one of the officers, called out.

"S-she just went crazy," Buffy gasped. She knew she had to convince the officers she was just a teenage girl. "She just started shooting. Principal Snyder is dead."

Behind Buffy, the Taraka assassin slammed through the same doors the Slayer had exited. She marched towards Buffy while she fired her gun another couple of times. The first bullet missed everyone present, but the second hit the officer, Ernest Edward 'Eddie' Barron, in the shoulder.

Simmons pulled his own weapon, and he put three bullets into the assassin's chest. He kept his gun drawn while he pulled his walkie-talkie. "Officer down! Officer down! Sunnydale High school. Send an ambulance. ASAP."

Buffy sagged against a police car. She really hadn't expected human intervention with the shooter, but she was grateful.

"Eddie, you okay," Simmons asked the injured officer.

"I'll live," Eddie replied. He pressed a hand against his bloody shoulder. He turned towards Buffy. "Anyone else injured inside besides the dead principal?"

Buffy nodded. "Oz was hit in the arm. I'm not sure about anyone else."

Twenty minutes later, Buffy had told her story.

Twice.

Eddie was loaded up in an ambulance and on his way to the hospital. Police chief Cindy Corderman was on-site leading the investigation as to why Patrice Bergeron went crazy and tried to kill high school students.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Xander and Kendra strolled up Revello Drive while they kept an eye out for anyone who resembled a salesman. Xander touched Kendra's arm while he pointed at a parked sedan.

"Look at the bumper sticker there on the back," Xander said. "Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. That's the perfect type of company to give away free samples."

Kendra nodded like she knew what Xander was talking about. "Which house is Buffy's?"

"That one over there." Xander nodded towards the Summers' house. He glanced around. "Let's ask Mrs. McNeil if she knows what direction the salesman went."

Xander and Kendra crossed the street to the house opposite Buffy's home. They stepped on the porch, and Xander knocked on the door. He looked back at Kendra when the door swung open.

"Not good," Kendra whispered.

"No, not really." Xander turned back to the open door. "Mrs. McNeil, it's Xander, Buffy's friend. Are you okay in there?"

"I'm here. I'm here." Mrs. McNeil stumbled down the hall with a martini glass in one hand. "You don't have to keep knocking."

Xander shook his head. "I only knocked once, Mrs. McNeil."

"You didn't knock real hard before?" Mrs. McNeil sounded confused. "I was just in the middle of my martini shake cycle and didn't want to stop."

"No, we're looking for a salesman giving out free samples," Xander replied.

Mrs. McNeil downed her drink in one big gulp. "Oh yeah," her voice slurred. "It wasn't free booze. So, I sent him next door to Maria's. She loves her free samples."

It was obvious to Xander that Mrs. McNeil started her drinking very early that morning. "To Mrs. Kalish's house?"

"I need another drink." Mrs. McNeil turned and lurched down the hall towards the kitchen.

Xander wrinkled his nose in disgust. He had to put up with enough of that behavior at home. "I hate drunks," he muttered.

"You know some drunks?" Kendra asked in a shy voice. She wasn't used to being around any males other than her Watcher. 

"Yeah." Xander herded Kendra to the front door. "My parents and Uncle Rory. At least they don't start drinking until after work."

"I am sorry for you," Kendra whispered. She couldn't remember her own parents. Her Watcher was her parental figure, and she couldn't imagine what it would be like if he craved alcohol more than anything else.

"I only have a couple of years before I can move out," Xander said while he closed Mrs. McNeil's front door. He stepped down to the sidewalk. "So, now what?"

"We must find out if this man is the assassin."

"Any ideas?" Xander glanced at the Kalish house. "The salesman might think we're weird if we go looking for him. That is if he's really a salesman, I mean."

Kendra shrugged. "If we wait, he'll come back to his car."

"We can confront him then," Xander said with a nod. "We'll see if your spidey sense dings."

"What's this spidey sense?" 

"You know. Whatever it is that you Slayers have that tells you a demon is nearby," Xander explained.

"Oh, I see." Kendra didn't understand the terminology. Americans were so weird. She followed Xander to the Summers' front stoop where they planned to wait for the salesman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Lily cringed when Drusilla let out an angry growl. Her sire started pacing a few hours before and hadn't stopped despite weakening almost to a state of collapsing.

"Lily Chanterelle!"

How Lily hated being called by both those names now. They were stupid, ugly human names. Lily wanted to pick a new name. It had to be something easy and simple to remember like Anne. Yes, Anne was an excellent name.

"We have to get to the church," Drusilla muttered. "The church is where we have to be. To the church."

Lily -- No, she had to think of herself as Anne now -- fisted her hands. Drusilla was completely insane and intensely mercurial. "Which church do we need to go to, Mistress Drusilla?"

Drusilla whirled around to rush at Anne. "Oh, my sweetest Lily Flower, the burning church where the music will fall and make everything right again."

"Which church is supposed to burn?" a minion spoke up. "Sunnydale had forty-three churches at last count, and that's not even counting the abandoned ones."

Anne blinked in surprise. "Forty-three? Really?"

"Life on the Hellmouth," the same minion said. 

"Burn them all!" Drusilla shouted. "That bitch Slayer will not have him. I will burn her to the ground." The mad vampire started to twirl around the room while she hummed a tune under her breath.

"Come on, baby, light my fire," the minion muttered. "God, I wish I'd never recorded that song."

"Well, burning all those churches is gonna take some time and planning," Anne decided. She glanced at the minion. "What's your name?"

"Uh, Jimmy," he said. 

"Okay. Jimmy, round up the others. We're having a meeting." Anne turned to Drusilla. "Mistress, why don't you rest while I go find you something to eat.

Drusilla patted Anne's cheek. "My pretty Lily Flower. You're so good to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Phillip Henry stepped into the art gallery where Joyce Summers was employed. As a favor to his friend, Rupert, he consented to check on the Slayer's mother.

Phillip strolled around the gallery. He studied the art while he waited for someone to speak to him.

"We're lucky to have very talented local artists willing to display their art here."

Phillip turned towards the voice. A few feet away stood a beautiful and nicely dressed woman that reminded him of Rupert's Slayer. "I agree. Phillip Henry at your service."

"Oh, you're Rupert's friend. Buffy's mentioned you." Joyce stepped forward with a big smile. She put her hand out to shake Phillip's hand.

Phillip bowed over Joyce's hand, and he kissed her knuckles. "Charmed."

"Are you looking for a piece of artwork to take home?" Joyce asked.

Phillip gave a warm smile. "I haven't made any definite plans, but I suspect I can be persuaded to stay on in Sunnydale."

"Rupert will be so happy." Joyce glanced around the gallery. "I think I have the perfect art to show you."

"I bow to your superior knowledge," Phillip replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

In the art gallery's office, Ted Buchanan narrowed his eyes in speculation. Joyce Summers was perfect.

Ted had Joyce's full attention until another man entered the gallery. Now she was out in the main area, smiling and laughing with someone else.

However, if nothing else, Ted was a patient man. He'd just bide his time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

PYLEA

"Your majesty, how may I serve you?"

Cordelia stared at the green demon in shock. "Really? What's the catch? You were just calling me a cow. Now, I'm your majesty."

"The Groosalug needs a Queen," Klempt said into the ground. "Can you foretell the future?"

"Don't know until I try," Cordelia replied. _This is more like it._ "What do I need to see, future-wise?"

"Will I be famous for finding a Queen for the Groosalug?" Klempt asked.

"Of course you will," Cordelia said with confidence. "However, I see multiple futures. There is the possibility they will throw you in a deep, dark hole."

"Oh." Klempt didn't like the sound of that possible future. He sat up while he nodded his head. "We must go on a quest, your majesty! This is how you will be the best queen you can be for the Groosalug."

"A quest?" Cordelia wrinkled her nose. "I won't break my nails on this quest, will I? I don't think there is a manicurist anywhere in this freaky dimension."

"It is always possible," Klempt said in a wise tone of voice. If he could get the Queen to elect him as her advisor, he'd be the most famous person in his family.

Meanwhile, in a nearby clearing, Angel stood with his face lifted towards the sun. He was going to enjoy his time in this dimension until he could find someone to send him home to Buffy.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"I can't take this anymore," Mercer grumbled. "My wife has threatened to divorce me if I don't get my dick back."

"What are we supposed to do?" Lindsey asked. "Littlecook can't find hide nor hair of Lilah."

Mercer gave Lindsey a dirty look. "Quit being a pansy, McDonald. I found a reversal spell that should help. It's the strongest, most potent one in the Wolfram and Hart archives."

"Uh, okay?" Lindsey's tone of voice was hesitant. "When are you planning on doing this reversal spell?"

"In about twenty minutes." Mercer looked proud of himself. "Would you like to watch?"

Lindsey shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have an appointment away from the office that I must attend," he answered. "I'm sure the results will be spectacular."

Mercer nodded. "They will be." A sly smirk slid across his features. "Then, McDonald, we'll see who the senior partners favor."

"Yes, we will." Lindsey vowed to himself to be out of the building as soon as possible. He made a great show of looking at his watch. "Will you look at the time? I don't want to be late."

Mercer's smirk grew while he watched Lindsey make his escape. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Finally, the senior partners would see him as a rising star. Maybe he'd leave McDonald in the dust for a change.

Lindsey was ten blocks away, power walking to get as far from his work place as possible, when a shockwave threw him to the ground. He rolled over to see what had happened. Lindsey gaped in astonishment as the Wolfram and Hart building started to shrink.

Lindsey stumbled to his feet, and he took off at a dead run towards Wolfram and Hart. It took him a few minutes to get back. What he found was ...

Nothing.

It was as if the building had never existed. There was no wreckage to indicate an explosion. Nothing to indicate what had happened. 

"It was the darnedest thing," an old man standing near Lindsey commented. "That building just sank straight down into the ground. It was full of lawyers, maybe Lucifer himself was calling those sons of bitches home." His companion agreed into his cup of coffee.

Lindsey stood there staring at the now vacant city block, wondering about his near miss. He felt a presence at his side. When he glanced over he recognized one of the mail room workers.

"Cinco," Lindsey greeted the masked Mexican ex-wrestler.

Cinco held up a box of full coffee cups. "Coffee break. Cinco's lucky day." 

Lindsey nodded. "Mercer was gloating," he muttered. "He was trying to get our dicks back."

"Too many men are too attached to their dicks," Cinco replied.

"Yeah," Lindsey agreed, even though he really didn't. He liked his cock and he wanted it back. He just knew trying to reverse some magic was easier said than done. Lindsey cleared his throat while he repressed the urge to speak.

"Here, have a coffee. Might as well." Cinco handed Lindsey a Styrofoam cup. "It's not like Jenkins will be back for it anytime soon. They're locked away tighter than a bruja's heart."

"What the fuck happened?" A voice shouted.

Cinco and Lindsey turned towards the voice.

"I'm Knox. I'm in R&D. I had a doctor's appointment this morning. What is going on?" the newcomer said.

"This is Cinco." Lindsey gestured towards his companion, who offered Knox a coffee. "I'm McDonald."

"Yeah, you're one of the bigwigs of Holland Manners'," Knox said. "Now can either of you two tell me what happened here?"

"We got lucky," Lindsey replied. "I don't feel the Wolfram and Hart contract hanging over my head anymore. Maybe we're free."

Knox paused and tilted his head. "I don't either. What does that mean?"

"Where ever they went ..." Lindsey shrugged towards the empty lot. "They're not coming back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

PYLEA

When a loud rumbling echoed through the woods, Angel looked up from the wild animal he was feeding on. In the distance, he could see a sky scrapper rising high above the trees. Angel dropped the dead animal. Finally a sign from home. Maybe now he could get back to Sunnydale before anything terrible happened to Buffy.

Angel fell to his knees when he felt an involuntary shift come over him. His mind filled with chaos and feral like feelings. Thoughts of Buffy fell away as the primal demon inside him took control.

Several miles away, Cordelia and Klempt were discussing the quest that she needed to go on to become the Groosalug's Queen. 

"It must be something fabulous," Klempt said. "Something that will make the bards sing of your greatness for a millennium, your majesty."

Cordelia thought about that for a few moments. "You know, you're right. The bards must make music in my honor. Any ideas? I'm afraid I'm new to your land."

"Hmmm, that is a hard one, I agree," Klempt answered in a thoughtful voice. He tapped his chin while he contemplated his Pylean history. After a few moments, he gave an excited shout. "I know just the thing. If we could find the five parts of the Crown of Divination, it would prove that you can see the future."

"I suppose," Cordelia said with a hesitant tone. She didn't like the sound of the Crown of Divination since she wasn't really psychic. "Sounds good to me. Where do we start?"

"According to legend, they were sent to the Pits of Chaos by the evil Queen Ythe many, many centuries ago. The Priestess foretold of the Queen's downfall which made the Queen so angry, she smote the Priestess. Then, she split the Crown into five parts. The Queen had five of her bodyguards take the pieces to the Pits of Chaos." Klempt shuddered at the thought of the Pit of Chaos, but he had resolved himself that this was the best way for the cow to prove herself. "They never returned." 

"And you want us to go to this Pit place and get them? I was thinking about maybe a quest to the mall." Cordelia grimaced. "I'm really good at finding a sale." 

Klempt glared at Cordelia. "I can sell you to the highest bidder instead," he threatened. "You look like you have plenty of meat on your bones. I know the Klandashia farm pays well for field cows."

Cordelia wrinkled her nose. "I am so not a field cow. Fine, we'll go to the Pits of Chaos and find this Crown of Divination. How do we do that?"

"You're the one with the power of fore site, your majesty." Klempt bowed low.

"Of course, I am." Cordelia let out a sigh. "Well, let's get the show on the road." She marched away from Klempt.

"Uh, wrong direction." Klempt pointed in the opposite direction of the way Cordelia was walking. She turned around without a word, and she marched the way the green-skinned demon was pointing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"So, you're a Slayer." Xander attempted to fill the silence with small talk. "Were you surprised when you become one?"

"Yes," Kendra replied in a soft voice. "There are several potentials with better skills than I have."

"Really? How do you know that?" Xander asked with genuine curiosity.

Kendra studied Xander from beneath her eyelashes. "I met them. Faith from Boston and Cassandra from Las Vegas." 

"Ah, Las Vegas. Sin City. My parents got married in Vegas." Xander tilted his head. "Come to think about it, I'm pretty sure they were married by a demon. Anyway about these other girls, why them and not you?"

Kendra lowered her eyes to stare at her hands. "They're so smart and tough."

"You're smart and tough." Xander lowered his head until he could catch the Slayer's eye. "You are. Don't let anyone ever tell you different. You travelled all the way here to Sunnydale, by yourself."

Kendra shook her head . She'd done what she needed to do. There was nothing smart about that.

"Maybe you should come see Brenna," Xander suggested. "She's a type of angel. She knows all about the supernatural. Buffy's seeing her." He leaned in to whisper. "Best thing ever though is her husband owns the donut store."

"Maybe." Kendra shrugged. "I think we're being watched."

Xander made a big show of yawning and stretching. He looked around the street, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone watching them. "I don't see anyone," he said after a bit.

"I know what I'm feeling," Kendra stated with a trace of indignation.

Xander raised a hand. "Hey, I believe you. I just think we're the most suspicious looking things on the street. This guy is hiding someplace, waiting for Buffy to come home."

"How long should we wait?"

"I don't know," Xander replied while he looked up and down the street.

Mrs. McNeil stepped out on her porch with a martini glass in her hand. "You kids are lucky you're not at the high school," she said, her words slurred with alcohol. "There was a shooting. Some cop was there for something. She went bonkers and shot the principal."

Xander leapt to his feet. "What? My friends are at a job fair at school." He turned to Kendra. "We need to go."

"What about ... you know, the man?" Kendra waved a hand at the salesman's car.

Xander grimaced. "Maybe you and Buffy can come back later. Right now, I think we should check on everyone at school." He tried to hide his fears from Kendra.

"I'm sure everyone you know is unhurt," Kendra replied. She was unsure of how to reassure the teenage boy.

"I need to see it with my own eyes," Xander said. Then, he paused for a moment. "If Buffy's hurt, someone will have to tell Spike. I just hope he doesn't kill the messenger."

"We shall go back." Kendra nodded. "We will catch the assassin another time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Joyce, I just heard on the radio," Louisa, Joyce's assistant, said. She hated to interrupt her employer with her new man friend. Louisa had noticed that Joyce never dated or talked about any men, not even her ex-husband. "There was a shooting at the high school."

"Buffy?" Joyce gripped Phillip's arm. "I have to go check on Buffy!"

"Let me drive you," Phillip replied. He pulled his rental car keys from his pocket. "You are too stressed to operate a car properly."

Ted stepped out of Joyce's office. "Mrs. Summers, I need to ask you a few questions."

"Louisa knows everything about the gallery. She can answer your questions," Joyce replied. She turned to Phillip. "Let me get my purse."

"But ..." Ted broke off when Louisa glared at him. "Right, well, I need to know which shipping and receiving program would be best suited to your business."

Louisa shooed Joyce and Phillip out the front door of the gallery before she turned to Ted. "Show me what you have."

It was a short, quiet drive to the high school. Joyce was lost in her own thoughts, and Phillip didn't want to upset her any more than she already was upset. He knew from experience that nothing he could say would ease her mind. Phillip hoped that nothing had happened to Buffy. It wouldn't be just her mother that would be hurt by her loss.

Joyce was out of the car and rushing towards the ambulance where she could see her daughter sitting before Phillip even stopped the car. "Buffy, are you hurt?"

'No, I'm fine, Mom," Buffy reassured Joyce. She looked past her mother at Giles' friend. "Hey, Phillip."

"Miss Summers, I'm pleased to see you're unhurt," Phillip replied.

Xander and Kendra rushed up. Xander was panting and out of breath, but Kendra looked like she had barely broken a sweat. "Are you okay, Buffy?" Xander gasped out.

Buffy gave a laugh. "I'm fine. The only person hurt was Oz, and he was only winged." She gestured towards a nearby ambulance.

"Your neighbor said Snyder was killed," Xander huffed. "Tell me she wasn't just having drunken ramblings."

Buffy grimaced. "Right between the eyes. Did you find the third assassin?"

Xander shook his head. "We were waiting for him to return to his car when Mrs. McNeil told us about the shooting."

"I think he is somewhere waiting to ambush you," Kendra said.

"We need a Scooby meeting," Buffy replied. "Xander, could you go tell Spike to meet us in the library?"

"I just hope he doesn't beat up the messenger." Xander grimaced. He leaned in to wink at Kendra. "You want to go for a stroll in the cemetery with me, Slayer?"

Kendra blushed, and she ducked her head. "That would be nice."

An hour later, Giles surveyed the group gathered in the library. Spike and Buffy sat together, and next to them were Joyce and Phillip. Xander sat beside Kendra while Willow talked quietly with Oz. It was a most interesting group of people he was associating with now.

Oz leaned forward, and he spoke to Buffy. "You know, vampires explains so much about Sunnydale."

"The Hellmouth is a wonderful thing," Buffy laughed. "And it's not just vampires. There's lots of other things that go bump in the night around here."

"I'll keep that in mind," Oz replied. 

"Now, on to business, I'm certain the policewoman was the second of three assassins," Giles announced. "Xander, did Kendra and you find the third one?"

Xander shook his head. "We were waiting for him to possibly return to his car when Mrs. McNeil told us about the shooting. We were worried about the gang." He waved towards Buffy and Willow.

"I sent Dalton over to keep an eye for him," Spike drawled. "At last check in, the car was still where it was when Harris had been at Buffy's house."

"We know he's there, I think I should go back to the house," Buffy suggested.

"No, Buffy," Joyce cried out. "He could kill you."

Buffy reached out to take her mother's hand. "Mom, I'll take Spike with me. I'll be okay."

The library phone started to ring. Giles crossed over to the counter to answer. "Hello, Sunnydale High School Library, Rupert Giles speaking." He paused for a moment while the other person spoke. "Yes, she is here. Joyce, it's your assistant."

"Louisa." Joyce rose to her feet, and she took the receiver from Giles. "Are there any problems, Louisa?" She stopped talking and listened. "What kind of questions?"

"That doesn't sound good," Spike muttered. "Who the hell is Ted?"

Joyce hung up the phone. "He's the man in charge of updating the gallery computers. He was asking Louisa where I lived and if I was single."

"Well, if he shows up at the house, we'll take care of him too," Spike said.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

Ted parked a block away from the Summers' house, and he waited. He was a patient man. That was something he always listed as one of his good qualities. Joyce Summers was the perfect woman for him, and no foreigner was going to take her away from him. He settled in to wait.

It was dark before there was any movement at Joyce's house. Ted hadn't noticed anyone coming to the front door, but there were lights coming on inside. He leaned forward to peer at the windows. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement at the house across the street from his target.

A short, mousey looking man came out onto the porch to gaze at the Summers' house. _More darned competition for Joyce's affections,_ Ted muttered. He really needed to rid himself of all the other influences in his beloved's life. Ted slipped out of his car, and in his most stealthiest of modes, he approached the man still staring at Joyce's house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Spike tilted his head to the side, and he appeared to be listening to something. "There's a commotion going on across the street. A couple of blokes are really getting into it."

Buffy crossed to the window where she peered through the curtains to check what was going on. "Yeah, I can hear them now. I don't recognize either of them. They don't belong in the neighborhood."

"Should we go over and confront them?" Spike asked after he joined Buffy at the window.

"No, I have a better idea." Buffy grabbed the cordless phone. She dialed 911 to get a hold of the Sunnydale Police Department. "Hi, this is Buffy Summers. I live at 1630 Revello Drive. My friend and I are here alone, and there's a couple of men arguing across the street. I think they might be drunk."

"You really think calling the police on that assassin is a good idea?" Spike asked after Buffy hung up the phone. "After all, it was a cop who attacked you at the school."

"Maybe they'll feel guilty enough that I'll get prompt and speedy service." Buffy shrugged. "It'll get them out of our hair for a little bit until we can take care of them." She was interrupted by terrible screaming.

"What the hell?" Spike grunted. He looked out the window again, and he grimaced at what he saw. "Sunnyhell is the weirdest place on earth, and I've been to some pretty strange places in my life."

"What's going on?" Buffy asked before she looked out the window too. "Oh holy heck, the cops are going to totally freak out over this."

"Or totally ignore it," Spike commented, his eyes glued to the spectacle happening across the street. He flinched at the shower of sparks that hurt his sensitive eyes. "That assassin after you is a big bag of bugs."

"That guy macking on my mom is all with the sparkage, and not in a good way." Buffy cringed when the sparks erupted in a small grass fire on the lawn. "This is the most excitement our block has seen in a long time. Oh, look, Mrs. McNeil is out on her porch. Hope she doesn't fall off it. She's drunk as a skunk."

"Wanna go out and watch the spectacle?" Spike asked. He tilted his head. "I think I hear the cops a'comin'." 

"Sure, why not?" Buffy grabbed Spike's hand, and she dragged him out onto the front porch. Together, they watched as the police and fire departments showed up. "I wonder how this is going to be explained away. Did you know you're a gang member on PCP?"

Spike turned to Buffy, and he raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"Yep. Wonder how they're going to explain that mess." Buffy waved at the robot with its electrical sparks and the pile of maggots.

"Maybe you shouldn't have called the coppers. We could have handled this on our own, luv." 

Buffy shrugged. "Live and learn."

"BUGS!!!!" Mrs. McNeil startled everyone with her terrified scream.

"Oh, boy, I forgot about Mrs. McNeil hating bugs." Buffy stepped off the porch. "Hopefully she isn't going to freak out too much.

Mrs. McNeil grabbed the lighter fluid off the BBQ grill on her front porch. She stumbled towards the pile of maggots which she doused with the flammable fluid. 

Buffy pulled Mrs. McNeil away just before a spark from the robot ignited the lighter fluid, and Mrs. McNeil squealed at the suddenness of the inferno. Buffy wrinkled her nose. "My gosh, Mrs. McNeil, how many martinis have you had today? You better get inside before _you_ catch on fire."

Mrs. McNeil shuddered. "I'm so sorry about that. I just hate bugs. My cousin was the meanest little son of a bitch there ever was. God, I need a drink."

Three police cars and two fire engines pulled up to the curb, and there was a flurry of activity as the officials dealt with the situation. Then, an ambulance pulled up. Buffy helped Mrs. McNeil to her porch before she went out to greet the incoming police officers.

"Ms. Summers," Chief Corderman greeted Buffy. "We meet again."

"Yeah, it's been a really weird day," Buffy replied. "Tuesdays are the worst ever."

"Tell me what happened here." Corderman waved at the scene.

For the second time that day, Buffy had a tale to tell the police chief. When she was done, she paused for a moment before she said, "I don't think we can blame this one on gang members on PCP."

Corderman snorted. "Yeah, that's for sure. She glanced over at the sizzling pile of bugs and the drenched robot. "I don't think a natural gas leak will work either."

"Drugs in the water," Spike suggested. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he had been eavesdropping on Buffy's conversation with the police chief.

"Well, I'll come up with something plausible." Corderman tapped her notebook with her pen. "I want to apologize for the officer this afternoon. I don't know how she got past our psych test."

"Well, hopefully," Buffy shrugged. "I'll pass the psych test when I apply?"

Corderman gave Buffy an interested look. "You plan on joining the police force."

"It's that or becoming a landscaper, according to the Career Day test." Buffy wrinkled her nose. "I'm not really into plants though."

"I think you'd make an excellent officer," Corderman offered. "This morning, you kept your head and recalled all the pertinent facts with an emphasis on the details. I look forward to having you on the force, if that's what you decide." She pulled out one of her personal business cards, and she handed it to Buffy.

Buffy took the card with a laugh. "Another one. I still have the one from earlier. I don't need another."

"Well, just in case you lose the first one," Corderman replied. "We have some summer internships down at the station. Call for an application. Tell them that I sent you."

"Sure thing." Buffy turned to Spike. "Hey, could you go call Giles to let him know that Mom's stalker is taken care of and she can come home?"

Corderman shook her head. "Robot stalkers. Only in Sunnydale."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Cordelia stared at the horse-like creature placidly eating grass. "You want me to ride that?"

"The Pits of Chaos are six days ride to the northeast, Your Highness. Would you rather walk?" Klempt asked.

"Okay." Cordelia approached the animal with caution. "Hope those pony riding lessons paid off. Nice ... horsey type thing." The animal sidestepped her while it continued to munch on grass.

"Try again, your highness," Klempt called out.

Cordelia stepped towards the creature again. When it evaded her again, Cordelia stomped her foot in frustration, and she growled. "I'm going to call you Devil-Horse."

The creature lifted its head and stared at Cordelia while it chewed on its mouthful. Cordelia stared right back, not the least bit intimidated.

"No one's ever named me before," it said. "Devil-Horse. I like it."

"You talk?" Cordelia turned to Klempt. "She talks?" Then, she turned back to the animal. "You talk?"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

Knox fell into the bar seat next to Lindsey and Cinco. "I really, really hate looking for work." He waved down the bartender and ordered a drink.

"Si," Cinco replied.

"So, boys. I went by the office to check on all you dickless wonders, and it was gone." Lilah Morgan slid into the bar seat on the far side of Cinco. "What on earth happened?"

Lindsey leaned forward to stare at Lilah. "You stole our cocks, you cold-hearted bitch, and Mercer tried to magic them back to gain favor with the big bosses. He royally screwed up."

"Oh, you mean, Wolf, Ram, and Hart, lost their dicks too." Lilah burst out laughing. It took her several minutes to regain her control. "Oh, that's just too good. How did you three escape?"

"Coffee break," Cinco said into his beer.

"Doctors appointment," Knox replied.

"Mercer was an ass. So, I was someplace else." Lindsey finished his whiskey in one swallow. "At least the stupid contract isn't hanging over our heads."

"This has so made my day, I'm going to ask my new boss to let the three of you have your dicks back." Lilah wagged her finger at Lindsey. "Even though it's your fault you lost them in the first place. Stealing my hard work to further your career. Ha, the last laugh's on you, bitch. No more Wolfram and Hart here."

"What?" Knox turned to stare at Lilah.

"Whatever Mercer did, it was a doozy. All the Wolfram and Hart offices are gone." Lilah flipped her hair while she preened like it was all her doing.

Lindsey set aside his pride because he really wanted his dick back. "I'm very sorry for stealing your hard work to get ahead, Lilah."

"I have a new name for a new job, Lindsey. You may call me Lilith."

"Lilith, like ... the first woman?" Knox asked. "Exactly who is your new boss and can I get a job there?"

"My new boss is D'Hoffryn, the lord of the vengeance demons, and probably not. He exclusively hires women. Well, raises them to new levels of awesomeness actually," Lilith commented. "Let me go talk to him about your dicks." She disappeared into thin air. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Joyce hated the mall. 

It reminded her of the long, boring, unproductive days she spent as Hank Summers' wife. Sure, the marriage had given her beautiful Buffy, but other than that, the years hadn't been pleasant. She squared her shoulders before she consulted her to-do list.

"I need to go to the printers and the tailor," Joyce said to herself. "They would _be_ on opposite sides of the mall, wouldn't they?" She set off towards the printers which was the closest of the two to her current location.

Joyce strolled along, taking it easy since she wasn't in a hurry. Her assistant was closing the gallery that evening. So, she had plenty of time to finish her errands. Joyce was looking into a store window when she bumped into a man. "Oh, pardon me," she said.

"My, my aren't you a pretty little filly," the man drawled. He had an cowboy accent that wasn't heard very often in California.

"I'm really sorry, sir. I wasn't paying attention." Joyce grimaced. 

"You can make it up to me by having coffee with me," the man said. He tipped his cowboy hat. "Lyle Gorch. Can I have your name, pretty filly?" 

Joyce stepped back from the man. "I said I was sorry," she said. She didn't want to give Gorch her name.

"Yes, you did say you're sorry, but I'm feelin' the need for compensation," Gorch replied.

"I don't think so, mate."

Joyce let out a sigh of relief when Gorch turned to confront the newcomers. Something about Lyle Gorch rubber her the wrong way. She just couldn't put her finger on why.

Lyle sneered at the shorter, bleached blond punk in a long, leather duster. Some vampires just didn't have any dignity. The nervous, bespectacled man with the punk didn't look like much of a challenge either. "Mind yer own business," Lyle drawled. "This one belongs to me. Go find yer own dinner."

"Dalton, why don't you escort our friend on her errands while I teach this wanker a lesson."

The nervous man nodded. "Of course, Master Spike." He moved to Joyce's side where he waited for her move away from the other vampires.

"I just love teachin' punks a lesson," Gorch boasted. 

Spike shrugged. "And, I do so love teachin' redneck arses a lesson." He put a hand over his heart. "Makes me all tingly and happy."

"I'm gonna kill you to death!" Gorch growled.

"Okay, I think that's my cue to leave," Joyce muttered. "Be careful, Spike."

"Don't worry," Spike assured Joyce. "I don't plan on bein' hurt. It'll just brass Buffy off."

"Who's Buffy?" Gorch sneered. "Some lame valley girl that needs a good seein' too?"

"No, she's my daughter," Joyce said with great dignity. "And your worst nightmare. Come along, Dalton. I have things to accomplish before the stores close. Have fun, Spike." She pulled Dalton along behind her, forgetting he was a vampire also.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

THE NEXT DAY

"Students and faculty, this is acting Principal Beverly Palmetto. Due to the after effects of events that took place during the Career Fair, I'm unhappy to announce that the 'Our Baby and Us' class has been cancelled. Mr. Whitmore took a sudden leave of absence, and Mr. Pierson, who would normally take over for Mr. Whitmore, has other obligations. Instead, those students in Mr. Pierson's health class will be allowed to reschedule till next term with no consequences to their graduation credits. Until the end of the school year, Mr. Pierson will be the acting Vice Principal."

A click heralded a change in announcers. "This is acting Vice Principal Alex Pierson. During the lunch hour, if those students in my health class would meet with me, I will be having alternative projects that you can sign up for to do during that class hour."

There was another click, and Principal Palmetto spoke again. "I need to see Mr. Giles and Buffy Summers in the office. That is all."

"I wonder what she wants with Giles and me," Buffy whispered to Willow. She rose to her feet, giving a nod to the teacher before she left the room. She met up with Giles outside the front office. "Hey, Giles, any clues what's the what?"

Giles shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." 

Buffy's voice fell to a whisper. "Before we go in can I ask you for something?

Giles nodded his assent.

"Okay, can you research a vampire for me? This vamp was bugging mom at the mall last night, but Spike dusted him." Buffy shrugged. "I just want to make sure everything is okay."

"I would be happy to. Did Spike catch a name?"

"Yeah, Lyle Gorch. Spike said he sounded like he was a cowboy, and he wore a cowboy hat and boots. So, he's thinking the guy was around his own age. So, 1880's?" 

"As soon as we're done meeting with Beverly and Alex." Giles held the office door open to let Buffy enter ahead of him.

"Ah, Rupert and Buffy," Mrs. Braille, the school secretary, said. "Beverly and Alex are waiting for you both in her office. Go right in."

"Thanks, Helena," Giles replied. Buffy and he went to the office door, where he knocked before entering."

"Ah, good, you're both here," Principal Palmetto said after Buffy and Giles were inside the office with the door closed. She stood up while Mr. Pierson stayed seated in his chair next to her desk. "We have a bit of a situation that needs Buffy's special skill set."

Buffy gave Giles a curious look. "My skill set?"

"Oh my goodness, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Beverly Palmetto, former Potential. This is my Watcher, Alex Pierson."

"I-I had n-no idea," Giles stammered. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs. "Are you working with the Council?"

Alex shook his head. "No, we don't report to the Council. We're no longer associated with them. We're just hoping you don't say anything to them either." 

"Why is that?" Buffy asked. "Is there something we should know?"

"I was young, just out of school when I was assigned to be Beverly's Watcher," Alex replied. "Barely twenty-three."

"I was older when I was found. Nineteen actually." Beverly sat down, and she folded her hands together on top of the blotter on her desk. "We fell in love. Travers didn't approve."

Giles had a moue of disgust on his face. "Travers never does."

"Okay, epic love story aside, we understand each other. So, what needs to die?" Buffy asked. She sat down beside Giles.

"There is a Bezoar mother in the basement. She's been laying a brood." Alex handed Giles a book off of Beverly's desk. "Unfortunately, she ate Mr. Whitmore before we discovered her."

Giles looked down at the book, and he read a passage that Alex had marked. "The Bezoar is a pre-pre-historic parasite. The mother hibernates underground laying eggs. The offspring then attach themselves to a host, taking control of their motor functions through neural clamping."

"Sounds like a ball," Buffy muttered. "I suppose I should get to the slaying then."

The office intercom beeped, and Mrs. Braille's voice filled the room. "Principal Palmetto, there's a young lady here by the name of Kendra Young here to see Mr. Giles."

"Ah, the other Slayer," Giles murmured.

Beverly gave Giles a wide-eyed surprised look. "Send her in, Helena." She turned the intercom off. "How can there be two Slayers?"

"I died," Buffy said with a casual shrug. "Well, at least I'll have help with my pest control job in the basement."

Kendra stepped through the office door. "Mr. Giles?" She looked around the room. "I need to speak to you about something private."

"It's okay, Kendra," Buffy replied. "Principal Palmetto was a Potential. She knows what's the what."

Kendra gave Buffy a confused look before she turned to Giles. "What?"

"Now you know how she makes the vampires dazed and confused. She stakes them while they're trying to figure out what she's going on about." Giles smirked at Buffy, glad that he wasn't the only one that didn't understand her valley girl speak at times.

"Still in the room," Buffy grumbled. "Besides, being an airhead works for me. Everyone underestimates me. All they see is the blond cheerleader with great clothes and fabulous hair."

"I think it works for you, Buffy," Beverly commented. "I think the two of you work together perfectly. I can tell Kendra has trained for many years. I'm sorry, dear, but you just move with a certain stiffness that comes from ..."

Alex interrupted Beverly. "Some of the weapons that a Slayer uses didn't come naturally to you, did they, Miss Young?"

"You're right, some did not." Kendra nodded.

"Sorry, I meant no insults. I just think that Kendra has a certain discipline that Buffy lacks, and Buffy has a certain sense of freedom that Kendra lacks." Beverly had a look of apology on her face. "I just think you two complement each other."

Giles looked back and forth between the two Slayers. "I think I will call Sam Zabuto before I start researching Lyle Gorch. Maybe he will be willing to come to Sunnydale."

"Sounds like a plan, Giles," Buffy replied. "Well, Principal Palmetto, if you give us a hall pass, we'll go take care of your Bozo the clown mother problem."

Beverly chuckled while she wrote out the hall pass. "I can see she keeps you on your toes, Mr. Giles."

"She's a lot like how you were, Bev," Alex said. He gave Beverly a small, happy smile. "Those were the days."

With two Slayers, it only took a few minutes to dispatch the Bezoar. Buffy went through the rest of the day, happy with the knowledge that she had the principal's cooperation to help her when she had a Slayer emergency that would interfere with school. The day was great, until it wasn't. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"This is Roberta and Thomasine in the morning with all your Sunnydale news, brought to you by Grabow's Jewelry store on Hudson street. Thom, did you know that there are forty-three churches in our fair town?"

"I do now, Bobbie. The Sunnydale fire department and police departments scrambling this morning to put out forty-three fires around town. Fire departments from surrounding towns, including Rocky Point and Rocky Hill, were called in to help douse the flames. Arson is suspected because of the numerous blazes. We here at KSND will keep you informed as updates come in to the station."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

Miss Edith informed Drusilla that if she was patient that great things would come to good little girls. Drusilla didn't know what kind of great things were coming, but she hoped they tasted good.

Maybe it would be sweet like pretty little girls in pretty little dresses.

Or maybe it would be wild and exciting like greasy little boys in their shiny leather jackets.

Drusilla licked her lips in anticipation. The sun was about to rise, and she hoped her precious Lily Flower would be home soon. The insane vampiress started to sing under her breath. "Come on, baby, light my fire."

Jimmy the minion staggered into the factory, carrying something wrapped in a velvet curtain. Drusilla rushed to his side, eager to see his offering. He fell to his knees, and he dropped his burden onto the low, blanket-covered platform that the vampires used as a sitting area.

Drusilla pushed the fabric aside. She let out a shriek of anger when she saw it was her beloved Lily Chanterelle. Lily laid, quiet and still, as if dead for real now. Half her face was covered with bright red and dirty black burn wounds. Her hair was singed to the scalp on one side. It was hard to tell if there were any other, more serious, injuries.

Drusilla turned her mad, raptor sharp gaze on Jimmy. "What happened?"

Jimmy quaked in terror, but he told his story anyway. "I finished my set of arsons. So, I went to meet up with Lily, but she ran into a complication. There was a bunch of demons doing a ritual at the last church on her list. They really didn't like being interrupted."

"Are they dead?" Drusilla hissed.

"Yes, Mistress." Jimmy nodded. "I arrived just as one of the demons threw Lily into an organ which then collapsed on her. While the others were fighting the demons, I rescued her and brought her here." He closed his eyes, and he waited for Drusilla to dust him. She really was a short-tempered bitch, prone to fits of violence.

"Go find us some blood. Something young and potent, that will help my Lily Flower heal." Drusilla curled into Lily's uninjured side. She hummed a comforting tune while she stroked the side of her pet's face.

"Of course, Mistress." Jimmy hurried out of the factory. He was glad to get out of the situation with his life. As he walked towards the more populated section of Sunnydale, he contemplated how to lure someone young and potent back to the lair. He also thought about maybe just making a run for it. Maybe he could go down the coast to Santa Clara to visit his old friends JJ and Jim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Jenny Calendar."

Jenny looked up from her papers. "Uncle Enyos, I wasn't expecting you."

"You haven't been writing often," Enyos replied.

"I've been busy." Jenny indicated the stack of students' work on her desk.

"As I see." Enyos walked over to Jenny. "The elder woman has been reading the signs. Something is going on with Angelus."

"Then, maybe she can tell me where he disappeared to with Cordelia Chase," Jenny replied.

Enyos stared at Jenny. "I thought the Slayer was named something stupid and American."

"Buffy Summers, yes. She's the Slayer."

"Who is this Cordelia Chase? Is she someone we need to worry about."

"She's another high school student," Jenny replied. "Her father is a big shot businessman. He's reported her missing to the police, and according to the high school rumor mill, they are currently looking at him as a suspect."

"I'm afraid we must make haste, Janna of the Kalderash people. Angelus might have changed his focus, and we are in the dark." Enyos urged Jenny to her feet. "A meeting with the elder woman is needed." He herded the dark-haired woman out of the room."

"What about ..." Jenny tried to turn back towards her desk.

"No one will blink an eye if you suddenly disappear. Not in this town."

Jenny gave up protesting against Enyos' plans for her. There was nothing to hold her in Sunnydale. She'd noticed Rupert's attention waning as of late, and she had no other friends. With a sigh, Jenny gave up her life of freedom to go back to her old life.

Jenny was so caught up in her own contemplation, she didn't notice the blond woman who watched her leave with a smile on her face.

"Soon, Rupert, I will be the only one you will think about having orgasms with," Anyanka whispered to herself as her only competition left town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Oz looked up from his guitar. A small smile crossed his face when he saw Willow holding a present while she searched the crowd for her friends. It was hard to miss the banner that proclaimed 'Happy Birthday Buffy'.

"You have that look on your face again," Devon, Oz's friend and fellow band member, said in Oz's ear. "Which one is she?"

"The redhead with the gift." Oz pointed Willow out with a nod of his head.

Devon surveyed the crowd until he saw Willow. "A little geekier than I like, but I bet she's just your type. Takes a special kind of woman to understand your humor, my friend." He slapped Oz on the shoulder.

"We have time before the set. I'm going to go talk to her." Oz set aside his guitar, and he ambled over to Willow.

"Hey Oz." Willow grinned at the young man. She lifted her hand from her burden to give him a wave. "You guys playing tonight?"

"Yep," Oz said. He looked over at the birthday banner. "You guys having a party, I see."

"Yep," Willow echoed. "Come on over. Everyone will love to see you."

"Okay. Let me carry that for you."

Willow looked down at the present in her hands. "Buffy's harder to buy for than you'd think," she commented while she handed Oz the gift.

"Oh?" Oz raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and it's not every day a girl turns seventeen, you know. It's a once-in- a-lifetime thing."

Willow and Oz joined Xander, Kendra, Buffy, and Spike at the table. Introductions were made, and it wasn't until later during one of Devon's many cigarette breaks that Oz learned the reality of living in Sunnydale.

"Come on, man. I need a smoke. Let's hit the alley for a few." Devon pawed at the pocket where he kept his smokes.

Oz rolled his eyes. "Smoke it fast. We're on in ten."

Devon and Oz left the Bronze. They were chatting when they realized they were surrounded by four men with deformed faces.

"I just love it when dinner comes to use," the obvious leader sneered. "Don't you, boys?"

The other deformed men nodded in agreement.

"Hey boys." Buffy's perky voice echoed off the buildings. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size."

The leader looked at the newcomer. "Oh yum, dessert."

"Keep your eyes to yourself, pissant," Spike growled. He'd never liked Lenny. He was a horrible minion.

"Oz, take your friend inside." Buffy stepped closer.

"Oh, look at that. Dessert thinks she's hot shit." Lenny sneered at Spike.

"You want to dust this wanker or should I?" Spike drawled.

Oz grabbed Devon's arm, and they inched towards the backdoor of the Bronze. He looked from Buffy to the vampires and back again. "This explains a lot."

"It sure does, man," Devon muttered. He dropped his lit cigarette. "Remember that chick Esmeralda at the gig down in Rocky Point? Creature of the night, I swear to you."

Oz pushed Devon towards the door while he rolled his eyes. "Esmeralda is a just a Goth wannabe, Devon." 

Spike waited until Oz and Devon were inside before he spoke again. "Make a choice, Slayer."

Lenny eyed Buffy again. "The Slayer, huh? You don't look like much."

"I told you to keep your eyes to yourself." Spike sprang at Lenny. He whipped a stake out of his pocket, and he plunged into the other vampire's heart. Lenny crumbled into dust.

"Well, guess that answered your question, Spike." Buffy produced her own stake.

"Spike," one of other vamps screeched. "Oh fuck we're screwed." He said no more as he turned to dust under Buffy's stake.

Two down, two to go." Buffy flung her stake at one of the remaining two vampires. He crumbled into a pile of dirt without making a sound.

"And then, there was one," Spike said with a feral grin.

"So, now you're just the Slayer's lap dog," the last vampire taunted Spike with false bravado. "Is her pussy hot and tight?"

Spike sneered at the crude, disgusting creature. "Better a lap dog than a pile of dust."

While the vamp's attention was on Spike, Buffy snuck up behind him and staked him through the back. "Let's get back inside," she replied while she hid her stake again. "I'm ready for some cake."

"My lady." Spike bowed , and he held out his hand to Buffy. "Your escort is ready."

Buffy took Spike's hand. When he straightened, she smiled at him. "William," she whispered. Buffy stepped closer, and she lifted her face to his.

"My sweet Babette." Spike leaned in to cover Buffy's lips with his own. It was a sweet, almost chaste kiss full of promise and love. They both had their eyes closed. So, they failed to see the golden glow that enveloped them both. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"There it is. The Pits of Chaos." Klempt swept his hand towards their destination.

Cordelia sat atop Devil-Horse. The woman and horse were good friends after the six-day trek. "Oh, that's a tower, not a pit."

"I didn't name the thing," Klempt grumbled. "That Queen Ythe did. Blame her, and that stupid priestess too." It had been centuries since both the Queen and the Priestess had died. Nothing bad would happen to him for stating his opinion, right?

Devil-Horse turned a contemptuous eye towards Klempt. "Queen Ythe was not evil, you idiot. She was being controlled by an evil magician by the name of Hart."

Cordelia listened to Klempt and Devil-Horse with half an ear while she peered at the tower. With one finger she pointed towards something. "Are those living skeletons over there?"

Devil-Horse looked to where Cordelia indicated. "I do believe they are. Isn't that interesting."

"Oh boy. Where's that idiot Angel when you need him," Cordelia muttered. She had no problem sacrificing the stupid vampire to the skeletons, if that got her by them.

"Why would you need him when you have me?" Devil-Horse's body shimmered, bright and blinding, causing Klempt and Cordelia to close their eyes.

Cordelia gasped when she felt clawed feet on her shoulder. When she opened her eyes she stared straight into Devil-Horse's eyes. Cordelia let out a surprised gasp. "You're not a horse thingie anymore."

Curled around Cordelia's shoulders was Devil-Horse's new shape. "No, I'm what you'd call a dragon, I suppose."

"I guess I can't call you Devil-Horse anymore," Cordelia responded. 

"Probably not, but I thank you anyway. You were the first to name me. My given name is Ysped," the newly transformed dragon said.

Klempt gasped. While he was always ready to state his opinion, there were some taboos that were held sacred, and using that name was one of them. "That's the name of priestess that Queen Ythe smote. No one is allowed to be named that any longer. It's forbidden."

"It wasn't forbidden when my mother named me," Ysped breathed out fire at Klempt. "Be gone, you idiot."

"I can't go." Klempt pointed at Cordelia. "She needs to put together the Crown of Divination to prove her worthy to be the Groosalug's queen."

"Go! Bring him here. Then, I will decide if _he_ is worthy of my new acolyte," Ysped remarked. She turned back to Cordelia. "Let's go squash some skeletons."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22

Drusilla was more than a little peeved. Another minion had snuck away in the middle of the night. In her insanity, she didn't see that she was the reason why they were all leaving.

Two minions stumbled into the warehouse. They were both bloody and battered. Drusilla screeched when she saw that they were empty handed.

"Where is my present?" Drusilla demanded.

"Uh." The two minions looked at each other. "Spike and the Slayer. They caught us with it, and they took it away from us."

"We almost died."

Drusilla hissed. "You lost my present?" she snarled. "Why are you still here? Get it back."

The two minions shook their heads. "We tried. We followed them to the docks where they had Dalton take a trip on a boat with it."

"You abandoned my gift when you saw them. You didn't even fight for it. For that, you die!" Drusilla leapt towards the two minions with clawed fingers.

The two minions screamed and jumped away from each other. They ran out of the warehouse like a demon was on their tail. Drusilla howled in fury.

"No Judge for me," Drusilla crooned. She ambled towards the bedroom where Lily was recovering from her fire accident. Drusilla was weak and tired. Spike was supposed to heal her here at the Hellmouth, and he had abandoned her.

Drusilla clutched at her head. The pixies were screaming. The stars were whispering. Miss Edith was silent.

All was lost!

"No! No! No!" Drusilla whispered. "Lies. All lies."

Daddy was gone somewhere that Drusilla couldn't follow. Spike was lost to the Slayer. Darla was dust. Drusilla was alone in the world.

"Drusilla baby?" Chanterelle called out. "Come back. I'm getting lonely."

Drusilla's mood changed, and she giggled. She clapped her hands with glee. All was not lost. All she needed to do was make her new baby all better. Then, they could paint the town red.

Blood red.

Red with blood.

Yum. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Brenna studied Buffy while she talked about her birthday party. She smiled at the young woman. "You seem different. Did anything happen?"

"Not really," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Spike and I kissed though. That was really nice."

Brenna nodded her head. "Did anything happen while you were kissing?" 

"I don't think so." Buffy shook her head. "He called me Babette."

"Hmmm, let me check something." Brenna bowed her head, closed her eyes, and centered herself and her powers. When she opened her eyes to look at Buffy, she had to suppress a gasp. "Hmm, wow."

"What? Is something wrong?"

Brenna smiled. "Not a thing, Buffy. Your bond with Spike has grown."

A bright smile crossed over Buffy's face. "That makes me so happy. Wait till I tell him. I do have to admit, I've been feeling better since my party. Less burdened, I guess."

"Is your young man here with you today?" Brenna asked.

"Yeah, he's out in the lobby waiting for me."

"Do you mind if he joins us for a bit?"

"Not really."

Brenna crossed to her desk, and she pressed the intercom button to speak to her receptionist. "Kelby, could you send Spike in?"

"Sure thing, Brenna," Kelby chirped.

In a few moments, Spike strolled into the room, his eyes immediately went to Buffy. "Everything okay, pet?" he asked.

"Everything is just fine," Brenna assured the vampire. "I was just checking on a theory. I was right. Your bond has strengthened."

"That's a good thing, right?" Buffy smiled when Spike sprawled in the chair next to her.

"Very good, indeed." Brenna leaned forward to make a note in her paperwork. "I think that the platonic bonding is moving towards a more intimate bonding and soul sharing. Soon enough, I'm sure that Spike's soul will inhabit his own body."

Buffy glanced at Spike in concern. "That's a good thing, right?"

"It's excellent progress." Brenna looked at her notes. "However, there's something else that we need to talk about. Is there any news of Angel?"

Buffy glanced at Spike before she shook her head. "No, none. It's like Cordelia and he fell off the face of the earth."

"I'm surprised Dru hasn't left town in search of him," Spike said. "She's always been so enamored with him, no matter what the incarnation."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "But, I can't say I'm sorry he's gone. I was really uncomfortable around him, and he just couldn't understand why."

"Angelus never was the sharpest tool in the shed," Spike drawled. "Can't say that I'm sorry he's gone. Hope he's having a blast where ever he is."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Angel wasn't having a blast. 

Not one little bit.

Angel's human thought processes were being suppressed by his feral vampire demon. He snarled at the creatures surrounding him. They didn't smell human.

Except one.

However, they all smelled like prey.

Angel sniffed the air to test for weaknesses. The human was smaller than the others, and whoever it was smelled of blood. He snarled as he lashed out at the strongest creature.

Angel slashed at the creatures. When they fell back, he snatched the small weak one. He tossed it over his shoulder to make his escape into the nearby woods.

Angel ignored the creature's scream and attempts to get away. It pounded on his back with clenched fists, but it didn't bother him.

Angel dashed away, using his supernatural vampire speed. Soon, he left his pursuers in the dust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

On the other hand, Cordelia was having the time of her life. Ysped and she marched on the skeletons with Ysped breathing fire. 

Klempt stared after the crazy woman and her crazy dragon-devil-horse. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Maybe he should go get the Groosalug after all. It would take him several days to even get to where the Groosalug resided. Klempt just couldn't make up his mind. 

The first two skeletons had approached Cordelia brandished swords and shields. They fell beneath Ysped's fiery breath. Cordelia took up one of the swords and shield with great ease.

How? Cordelia didn't know.

Cordelia had never picked up a sword before in her life. She voiced this to Ysped.

Ysped looked deeply into Cordelia's eyes. "You have an old soul that lived many lives. Not all of them nice lives, mind you. Caused more trouble than not." 

"Well, let's hope this one is better," Cordelia commented. She slashed and Ysped burned their way through the first floor of the tower. When they reached the stairs to the next level, they found a heavily armored skeleton that wasn't reanimated like the others.

"That's one of Queen Ythe's bodyguards," Ysped hissed. "Percival the Merciless. See the insignia on the helmet."

Cordelia nodded. "He has the first piece of the crown, right?"

"That he does." Ysped leapt down to the ground from Cordelia's shoulder. She inched towards the skeleton. "Percival, give up your secrets.

A transparent image of a huge, handsome man appeared standing over the skeleton. "Yo ho, Ysped. It has been a long time since we last spoke." He peered at Cordelia. "Is this the one?"

Ysped looked back over her shoulder at Cordelia too. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is."

"Excellent." Percival bowed to Cordelia. "Just one little question. Then, you can have the treasure I've been guarding for so very long."

"Okay," Cordelia replied in a dubious tone. "But pop quizzes are not really my forte. Unless it's a fashion question. Then, I'm your gal, the hostess with the mostest."

"You're funny," Percival chuckled. "I like you." He looked Cordelia up and down. "If I was alive, I'd give any males competing for your hand in union a run for their money."

Ysped snorted. "Quite being a creeper, Percival. The question, please."

"Here goes. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?" Percival grinned at Ysped.

Cordelia's jaw dropped. "I really, really suck at riddles." 

"That is not the question you're supposed to ask, Percival," Ysped grumbled. 

"You just like taking all the fun out of things, Ysped. I'm dead. Let me have some fun." Percival rolled his eyes. "Fine. Acolyte, do you vow to smite the vile magician Hart from the face of our dimension."

Cordelia's eyes widened. She had no idea how she knew what she felt compelled to say next. "I so vow."

"Excellent!" Percival reached out to drop a chunk of crown into Cordelia's hand. "Good luck, Acolyte. You will do the Order of Kordeltia proud."

Cordelia hissed when the chunk hit her hand. A vision of things to come flashed through her mind. She saw herself upon a throne with a handsome long-haired man beside her who grabbed her hand to kiss.

"We'll rest here," Ysped replied. "You are proving most worthy, Cordelia. There are four more bodyguards to contend with."

While Cordelia and Ysped settled down for a rest, Klempt finally decided he had best go find the Groosalug. Just in case the human cow and the dragon demon-horse managed to succeed in getting the Crown of Divination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Spike and Buffy strolled through the cemetery after the session with Brenna had concluded.

"You're sure thinking a lot of thinky thoughts tonight," Buffy commented. "Is everything okay?" 

"Just thinkin' about Angelus and his incredible ability to screw things the fuck up," Spike muttered.

Buffy reached out to take Spike's hand. "William, I'm okay. I'm focusing on the good memories to make the bad memories seem insignificant beside them."

"Which good memory, pet?"

Buffy hummed happily. "Yeah, you were Guillermo and I was Liliana. We were in Spain." She scrunched up her nose. "I always wondered why the year Columbus discovered America gave me an odd twist in my stomach."

_Spain, 1492_

_"Guillermo, come for a walk with me," Liliana urged her friend. "It's snowing."_

_Guillermo looked up from his task. Much to his surprise, his friend was right. There was a light dusting of snow. "Well, I suppose we can."_

_"Yes!"_

_"Only if we collect some firewood while we're out." Guillermo rose to his feet. He helped Liliana to dress as warmly as she could before he too dressed in his warmest. Together, they stumbled down the path into the woods. They giggled like little children as they picked up sticks and downed branches._

_"Guillermo, I love you," Liliana said in a quiet voice that sounded loud in the quiet snowy forest._

_"I love you too, Liliana."_


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23

Faith wasn't happy with her circumstances. She screamed and pounded on the back of the creature that had stolen her away from the other creatures that had called her a cow. Finally, she stopped her struggle, and she grumbled under her breath about stupid portals and weird dimensions.

After a very uncomfortable ride over the creature's shoulder, it finally skidded to a stop where it dropped Faith onto the ground. At that point, she discovered it was male. 'He' growled at her, his ugly face and fangs scaring her.

Faith scrambled backwards across the forest floor. Her hand closed around a short, heavy tree branch that had a broken sharp point on one end. Faith held the branch in front of her while she continued to scoot away from the creature.

The creature roared, and it grabbed at Faith. She thrust the branch towards the creature. She didn't think it would do her any good, but it was her only weapon against her foe. It happened so fast, Faith wasn't even sure what had happened until the creature turned to a fine dust that covered her and the surrounding the ground.

"What the hell?" Faith muttered. She dropped the branch before she started to brush the dust off herself. "That was so weird."

Faith staggered to her feet. It occurred to her that she was quite far away from the other creatures who had been keeping her captive. Faith grinned to herself. If she could hide and stay out of their hands, maybe she could eventually figure out a way home. All she needed to do was to find someplace to hide.

Faith picked a direction and started walking.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ceridwyn looked up from her task. Something had changed. Unlike other vengeance demons, Ceridwyn kept a close eye on her victims. She didn't have as many people asking for reincarnation, as say, Anyanka with her scorned women. 

Ceridwyn went to the cabinet where she kept the magical spheres that kept track of the reincarnated souls in her charge. She let out a peal of laughter when she realized that Liam's soul, his real soul, not the generic one the gypsies had forced on the vampire, had departed for its final resting place.

"I wonder what happened to him," she wondered to herself. After a few minutes of continued chortling, Ceridwyn shrugged it off. It didn't hurt her feelings that he was finally gone. "At least he won't be able to keep them apart again."

One down, and one to go.

Ceridwyn went back to her task.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spike and Buffy stepped into the Bronze. They were meeting with Willow, Xander, and Kendra to watch the Dingoes' gig. Buffy veered off towards the table where her friends were seated while Spike went to the bar to get drinks.

At the break, Oz joined his friends at the table. He plopped down between Spike and Willow.

Spike sniffed the air before he turned to Oz. "You smell different," he stated.

"Spike, are you sniffing my friends?" Buffy teased.

Spike shrugged. "He smells like wolf. That's new." He turned to Oz. "You been bit lately?"

"My baby cousin," Oz replied. "That's it. Nothing else, not even a mosquito."

"The nose knows." Spike laid a finger on the side of his nose. "You're a werewolf."

"The full moon is tomorrow," Willow whispered.

"Well, better safe than sorry," Buffy replied. "We need to find a secure location before the moon comes up. Just in case."

Oz looked around the group. He figured they all were perfectly serious about what they were saying by the looks on their faces. "Only in Sunnydale."

"Any ideas where that secure location will be?" Xander asked.

"For now, we should use the cage in the library," Willow said. "Hopefully it's strong enough."

"You are all crazy," Kendra muttered.

"Crazy but fun, right?" Xander asked, making Kendra blush. 

Buffy leaned over to tap Xander's arm. "Don't embarrass your date."

Xander rolled his eyes before he turned to Kendra with a smile. "Sorry, Kendra."

Kendra blushed again. "This is a date?"

"Of course, silly," Buffy replied. "Xander really likes you. Don't you, Xander?"

Xander nodded. "I do."

"Oh, okay." Kendra ducked her head. "I like you too."

"Sounds perfect to me then." Xander beamed the rest of the evening.

After the last set was over, the group piled into Spike and Oz's vehicles to make their way to the high school.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Giles stepped out of the library office with a book in his hands. He continued towards the counter until he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Giles looked up from his book to find a well-dressed, well-groomed man seated at the research table.

"Hello, Rupert Giles. I'm Sam Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher. I seem to have misplaced my Slayer."

Giles blinked in surprise. "Mr. Zabuto, what a pleasure to meet you."

"My Slayer?"

"Ah, Kendra. Lovely girl." Giles went to the counter where he laid down the book he was reading. "She's out with my Slayer listening to a band. Later, they'll do a sweep of the cemeteries with Spike."

It seemed to be Zabuto's turn to be surprised. "Your Slayer is dead, Rupert."

"Only a little bit, and only for a few minutes. Her friend Xander resuscitated her," Giles informed his fellow Watcher.

"Friend? Slayers do not have friends!" Zabuto said in a loud voice. 

"Mine does." Giles joined Zabuto at the research table.

Zabuto stared at Giles. "And you allow this?"

"Slayers are a force of nature, Mr. Zabuto. It's our job as Watchers to make sure they are as forceful as humanly possible. I fear that the Council doesn't see our girls as anything but expendable." Giles looked at Zabuto's face to read his reactions to this statement. When he was satisfied that the other Watcher understood what he was saying, he continued to speak. "Let me tell you a story about reincarnation."

After Giles finished speaking, Zabuto stared at him for awhile. "Do you have any proof?"

It took every fiber of Giles' being not to roll his eyes in a similar fashion to Buffy. "I can call Ceridwyn if that helps you."

"I think that would help," Zabuto replied.

"Ceridwyn, could I speak to you for a moment?" Giles asked out loud.

Ceridwyn appeared next to Giles, and Zabuto sat back in surprise. "I was just coming to talk to you. Liam's soul has moved on. He will no longer be reincarnated," the vengeance demon informed the Watchers.

"Liam?" Zabuto asked. "That's Angelus, correct."

"Yes, Angelus," Ceridwyn replied. "I've hated him for centuries. Every damned incarnation he's been a cowardly lowlife. Cilla hasn't been much better. Although, strangely enough Drusilla was a sweet, innocent girl before she met up with Angelus. There's a chance things would have changed for Elizabeth and William back in 1880 if Angelus hadn't driven Drusilla crazy and turned her."

"I thought that it took Buffy being the Slayer and Spike being a vampire for this whole cycle to finally end?" Giles commented.

"It did. Just wishful thinking on my part," Ceridwyn said. "I'm finally glad they're going to be happy." She pointed a finger at Giles. "Nothing better interfere, or I'll be very unhappy. You better tell that Council of yours that she won't be participating in that stupid Cruciamentum."

Zabuto sat back. "You know about that?"

"I'm a vengeance demon. Of course I know about that." Ceridwyn kept her eyes on Giles. "If the Cruciamentum happens and Buffy dies, I promise that Spike and I will burn the Council to the ground."

Ceridwyn and the two Watchers were so intent on their conversation that they didn't hear Spike and the teenagers enter the library.

"I second that promise, Watcher," Spike drawled. "If Buffy's gone, there will be nothing to protect you from my wrath."

"But, your soul ..." Giles trailed off.

"Having a soul doesn't stop serial killers or genocides, Watcher. It's not a leash." Spike turned his back on Giles, and he went over to the book cage. He grabbed a hold on the gate. Then, he shook it for all he was worth. "Yep, this should hold him."

"Hold who?" Giles rose to his feet.

Oz raised a hand. "Spike thinks I'm a werewolf. We're locking me up just to make sure."

"A werewolf? Oh my." Giles took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Oz went to stand by the cage.

"So, our Slayers are hanging out with a vampire." Zabuto eyed Spike. "And a werewolf. What about these other two?"

Kendra squeaked when her Watcher spoke. She hid behind Xander.

Xander raised his hands in surrender. "All human. However, due to a spell that turned us all into our costumes, I can reassemble a M-16 in fifty-seven seconds."

Anyanka appeared next to Giles. "I'm a vengeance demon though." She smiled up at Giles. "I'm here for Giles though. Hello, Ceridwyn, " she greeted the other vengeance demon without looking at her.

"Anyanka, good to see you," Ceridwyn replied.

"I'm all human too," Willow spoke up.

"That is true." Ceridwyn peered at Willow. "But you have potential."

"Potential for what?" Buffy asked. "Willow's a great girl, Mother."

"To catch Hoffy's attention for one. I can see the magic swirling just under her skin. She needs a mentor." Ceridwyn turned back to Giles. "You need to get her one before she hurts Buffy."

"I would never!" Willow protested.

"Not on purpose."

Oz let out a grunt of pain. "I really need to get into that cage."

The room burst into activity. Giles went to the counter, and he tossed the cage keys to Spike. Spike opened the cage for Oz.

Spike turned to Xander. "Take Willow home," he told the young man.

"Kendra and I will go patrol," Buffy said.

Zabuto looked at his Slayer. "I'm staying at the Sunnydale Inn, Kendra. Room 202. When you're done with patrol, I need to speak with you."

Kendra kept her eyes on the floor, but she nodded in agreement. "I will be there, sir."

Zabuto left the library without a backwards glance. He needed to think long and hard about what he'd seen tonight. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Buffy and Kendra strolled through the cemetery, keeping an eye out for fledges.

"Cain, don't you walk away from me," a voice echoed through the cemetery. 

The Slayers looked at each other and shrugged. They turned towards the voice. In a clearing, in the middle of several crypts stood two men with guns.

"You know nothing, Silverado," Cain sneered.

"I know you don't hunt by the code."

"The code is just antiquated crap." It was if Cain's sneer was permanent. "I will kill whatever werewolf I come across. I don't really care about anything but the kill."

Buffy and Kendra stepped out from their hiding place. "You kill any werewolves in our town, you will answer to us."

Cain snorted. "Two little girls." He pointed his rifle at them. 

"They're not werewolves, you stupid ass," Silverado said.

"No, we're Buffy."

"And Kendra." The younger Slayer blushed.

"The vampire Slayers," Buffy and Kendra said together.

Cain snorted. "Slayers are just a myth."

"So are werewolves, and yet you hunt them," Buffy replied. Her stake appeared in her hand. "There will be no hunting in my town. Leave now."

"Not until I get my quarry," Cain said. 

Buffy looked over at Kendra. "I think we need to find someone to escort this idiot out of town before he does something stupid. Dalton, you can come out of hiding now."

Dalton shuffled out of the shadows. His face looked perfectly human. "Hello, Slayer. What can I do for you?"

"The gentleman here with the tooth necklace needs an escort out of town. Can you do that?"

Cain sniffed in disdain. "He looks wimpier than you do, bitch."

Dalton turned to Cain, and he let his demonic visage appear on his face. "Sure thing, Slayer."

Cain let out a surprised grunt. "What the fuck is he?"

"You know about werewolves but not vampires. You are a shoddy hunter," Silverado replied. He shouldered his gun. "It's a pleasure to meet you ladies. I'll help your friend here escort Cain out of town. I think he needs a refresher course on the hunter code."

Before anyone could move, Buffy disarmed Cain. She bent the barrel of his rifle before she handed it to Silverado. "I don't hurt humans, but I'm not too nice to ones that hurt others. Get this idiot out of town before he runs into someone less hospitable than me."

"My pleasure, ma'am." Silverado grabbed Cain by the back of the neck. "Let's go, asshole. The Hunter's Council wants to talk to your sorry self." 

At Silverado's words, two more men appeared. They took over escorting Cain towards a fancy SUV parked near the cemetery gates.

Silverado took a card out of his pocket, and he handed it to Buffy. "If you ever _do_ have a werewolf problem, feel free to call me."

"Sure thing." Buffy and Kendra watched Silverado walk away. "Things are never boring in Sunnydale," Buffy told Kendra.

"I see that."

Buffy tilted her head. "He's kinda cute for an old guy. You think I could set him up on a date with my mom?"

"You be one crazy Slayer," Kendra replied.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ysped and Cordelia blazed through three more riddles with flying colors, or at least it felt that way. It took them almost three weeks to get through three riddles. They met Doctor Smitty, Cameron, and Diggory. The riddles were challenging, making Cordelia put on her thinking cap. She realized she was smarter than she'd first thought. What took Ysped and Cordelia so long was the physical challenges on each level. The Doctor's was the most difficult because he had set up a maze throughout the entire level.

There was only one piece of the Crown of Divination left to be found. There was one last bodyguard and riddle to solve. The level was surprising clear. There were no enemies to fight or traps to avoid. At the end of the big empty room was a dais with a throne on it. Cordelia and Ysped approached the dais with caution.

Ysped whispered. "I forgot about them. How could I be so stupid?"

"Forgot about whom?" Cordelia whispered in return.

"Sir Brian and his guard dog Ty," Ysped answered.

"Ysped, you know Ty doesn't like being called a dog." A skinny, pale young man appeared on the top step of the dais. Beside him was a tall, dark-haired man who glowered at Ysped. What surprised Cordelia the most was neither one of them was a ghost. They seemed to be flesh and blood.

Cordelia straightened her back and threw back her shoulders. "I'm ready for the next riddle."

Brian chuckled. "There is no riddle or obstacles left. You've passed all the tests."

"I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be," Ysped commented.

"I got tired of waiting here ages ago, Ysped. So, is Ty. We're ready for a new queen," Brian replied. "Lucky us. Here she is." He gestured towards Cordelia. "If we wish to live our own lives, we need to fight the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart."

"The idiot returns with the Consort," Ty growled. 

Ysped chuckled. "They're all idiots. Let's get the Crown put together and the Queen on her throne before the Consort makes his way here."

"Don't worry," Sir Brian said with a wink. "We've slowed him down."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24

February 14th, St Valentine's Day

Lilith found Lindsey, Knox, and Cinco inside a pool bar playing a game of pool together. “No romantic plans for the day, boys?” she asked.

Lindsey gave Lilith a pointed look. “Really, Lilah? That’s so funny I forgot to laugh.”

“You won’t think I’m funny for long.” Lilith waved the waitress over, and she ordered a beer. After the other woman left for the bar, Lilith turned back to the three men. “I can get your dicks back for you, but there’s a price.”

“What is the price?” Knox asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. He’d worked for WRH for long enough to know there were usually strings attached to any deals that demons wanted to strike up with humans.

An evil smirk settled on Lilith’s face. “D’Hoffryn needs some more vengeance demons and you boys fit the bill nicely.”

“We have to become demons to have our dicks back?” Knox exclaimed in a horrified voice.”

Cinco shrugged. A job was a job in his book. “Bueno. I accept,” he replied.

Lindsey and Knox stared at Cinco. “Really?” they said at the same time.

“You didn’t even ask about the pay and benefits,” Lindsey replied. He turned to Lilith. “What are the pay and benefits anyway?”

“There’s the power and the immortality,” Lilith replied. “I have to tell you, boys. Arashmaharr is pretty darned nice, if I say so myself. And I do.”

“How nice?” Knox asked in a suspicious voice. “Because I can imagine some pretty nice things. Good food, orgies, unlimited research grants.”

“Food,” Cinco cooed. “Tacos, burritos, enchiladas. Cinco is hungry.”

“I’m in the mood for a good old Tex-Mex barbeque,” Lindsey said. “Is there Texan food in this Arashmaharr?”

“Food, sex, whatever your little hearts’ desire,” Lilith smirked. She pulled three masculine amulets out of her pocket. “Just put these on, and Bob’s your uncle, you have dicks back and you get a whole slew of perks.”

Cinco grabbed the amulet, and he immediately put it around his neck. There was a flash of light.

“Huh, I would have never thought that you’d be the patron saint of brotherly love,” Lilith replied. “Not sure what that means exactly. I think you need to have a conference with D’Hoffryn.”

“Si,” Cinco replied. He listened carefully while Lilith gave a quick rundown on how to teleport. Cinco disappeared into thin air.

“Fine, give me the darned thing.” Lindsey grabbed the amulet away from Lilith, and he put it on. There was a flash of light that blinded everyone in the room except Lilith and Knox. 

Lilith started to giggle.

Lindsey hissed.

“Patron saint of lost kittens. I love it.” Lilith laughed until she had to sit down. After she could breathe again, she waved her hand. Lindsey disappeared from the pool hall.

“You’re not going to turn me into a kitten are you,” Knox asked while he eyed the amulet hanging loosely from Lilith’s hand. 

“No, that was just a small trick I played on McDonald. He’ll be back to his human form when he gets to Arashmaharr.” Lilith narrowed her eyes at Knox as she handed him the last remaining amulet. 

“Great.” Knox put the amulet on. 

“D’Hoffryn is a jealous master. You will be giving up your obsession with Illyria now,” Lilith said.

“What?” Knox disappeared, not realizing that it was a done deal. When he’d put on the amulet, his soul belonged to D’Hoffryn.

Lilith brushed her hands together. “Well, that was a great day’s work. I think I deserve a drink.” She wandered off towards the bar and the very handsome bartender.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Buffy's eyes widened when Joyce came down the stairs. The older woman was dressed in her favorite red dress, and she wore her best jewelry. "You look great, Mom. What's up?"

"I have a date with Oggy," Joyce replied while she put her earring in. "He's taking me to Chez Roberto's."

Buffy let out a whistle. "Way to go, Mom. That place is ultra spendy. I didn't realize you and Giles' buddy were serious."

"We are," Joyce said with a nod. "What are you and Spike planning on doing tonight?"

"I don't know." Buffy shook her head. "It's a surprise."

"Well, we can't be the only couples with Valentine's Day plans," Joyce commented.

Buffy giggled. "Nope, we sure aren't. I'm fairly certain that Anya is planning on shagging Giles into the mattress."

"Buffy!"

"Hey." Buffy threw up her hands. "Spike's words not mine. He heard her whispering in Giles' ear. I believe what he told me because a. that's how Anya operates and b. Giles turned this glorious shade of red."

Joyce chuckled. "What about Willow and Xander?"

"Well, Oz and the band have a gig down in Rocky Point. Willow's going with them to hang out," Buffy said. "Xander and Kendra are going to have pizza and go to the movies. He needs to be on his best behavior. Her Watcher is chaperoning them."

"Poor Xander," Joyce chuckled. She hadn't met Kendra's Watcher yet, but she was quite sure that he'd put a damper on any planned romance that Xander had hoped to have with Kendra. 

"Only thing left to do is to find Dalton a girlfriend. There has got to be someone out there that would love to date a book-loving vampire." Buffy giggled.

Joyce shook her head. "Why don't you let him pick his own girlfriend?"

"Whoever he dates has to pass muster," Buffy replied. "Spike and I can't have some evil wench get her hands on our minion."

Joyce snapped her fingers. “Oh, not to be a downer, but your dad sent you a card. He’s hoping you can spend Spring Break in Los Angeles with him.”

“I’ll have to think about that,” Buffy grimaced. “He’s been kinda lame lately.”

“He’s still your dad, honey,” Joyce replied. “Nothing is going to change that, not even his lameness.”

Buffy laughed. “I guess so, but he’s so not meeting Spike yet. I don’t think Daddy’s ready for that experience.”

“Probably not,” Joyce agreed with a laugh.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Queen Cordelia sat majestically on her throne. She hid her nervousness from everyone gathered around the dais where she was sitting. The only one that had a clue about her feelings was Ysped. Sir Brian and Ty stood at the alert when the Groosalug marched forward with Klempt slinking along behind him.

“I am the Groosalug,” the half-demon’s voice boomed and echoed through the throne room. “I have come to win the hand of the fair Queen Cordelia.”

Cordelia gulped loudly. The Groosalug was really, really drool worthy, in her opinion.

“I know that I’m flawed,” the half demon announced. “Look at me.”

“Oh, I am,” Cordelia muttered to Ysped. “I’m not seeing any flaws.”

Ysped hummed in agreement.

“There is cow blood flowing in my veins, making me flawed,” the Groosalug continued.

Cordelia narrowed her eyes, and her gaze fell on Klempt. “You called me a cow,” she growled him. 

Ysped hissed at Klempt. “It’s something the natives here started to do after the last Queen lost her throne. It’s time to remind the rabble of their place.”

“We mustn’t fall to their level though,” Sir Brian said. “Just because they’re bigoted assholes doesn’t mean _we_ should be.”

“I’m here to enter the contest for the privilege to become the Queen’s Consort,” Groo announced while he ignored the conversation raging around him.

Cordelia laughed. “There is no contest. You’re it. You’re the Consort.”

It was clear that wasn’t the response that the Groosalug was expecting. He just stared at Cordelia in confusion. “I don’t need to prove that I am worthy of consideration despite the cow blood flowing through my veins?”

“Well, I’m all cow … I mean human,” Cordelia said. “Honestly, Ysped isn’t my type. Brian and Ty are more into each other than anything else.” She sneered at Groo’s shrinking shadow. “Klempt there is just too unattractive to be in the running.”

“I can run. I’m good at running,” Groo replied.

“Cute, but not very bright,” Cordelia muttered.

“Teachable though,” Ysped whispered in Cordelia’s ear. “I definitely approve of your Consort.”

Cordelia clapped her hands. “Alrighty then, how are we going to destroy Wolfram and Hart? Ideas, suggestions, quaint anecdotes?”


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25

Drusilla lay on her bed with tears running down her face. She couldn’t feel her Daddy anymore. He was gone.

Drusilla had never felt so alone in her life. Not even her favored minion could change Drusilla’s loneliness. Her Daddy was dead, and it was entirely the Slayer’s fault. Her Spike was gone, lost to her. That was completely the Slayer’s fault too.

It was time for the nasty Slayer to die. 

Drusilla hissed to herself. She needed to rally the minions. Drusilla conveniently forgot that she was having trouble with the underlings. Ever since Jimmy had slipped away after his rescue of Lily, the other minions were leaving too.

“Tonight’s the night. I’m going to paint the town red as I bathe in the blood of the Slayer. Dirty nasty Slayer.” Drusilla rose from her bed. In her mind, she could see the flames of the future surrounding her. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“You know, Sunnydale has been oddly quiet since all the churches burned down,” Buffy commented to Giles while she kicked at the punching bag. She shrugged when Giles gave her a pointed look. “Well, perceptively, compared to how bad it could be. I mean Spike isn’t trying to kill me …“

“No, now there’s just Drusilla trying to kill you,” Giles replied.

Buffy grimaced. “Yeah, and all those memories of things she’s done in the past mixed in doesn’t help either Spike or me deal with her very well.”

Giles studied Buffy. In many ways recovering the memories of previous lives had made the Slayer seem younger and more vulnerable than before. While he couldn’t understand the enormity of it all, he did understand how hard it was to deal with one’s past. Giles had an inkling of an idea, but he needed to discuss it with a select group of people first.

After Buffy left the library, Giles went straight to the phone to call Oggy. 

“Good evening, Oggy. Can I trouble you and Joyce to join me at the library? We have something to discuss.”

“I suppose,” Oggy replied.

After that, Giles contacted Anyanka. In turn, she contacted Ceridwyn.

Brenna Hassib was next on Giles’ to call list.

An hour later, the adults in Buffy’s life met up at the high school library. Everyone looked at Giles with expectation.

“Wonder if he’ll ask if we’re wondering why he’s called us all together,” Oggy side-whispered to Joyce.

Joyce giggled.

“Do shut up, Oggy,” Giles growled. 

No, it was Ripper who growled. 

Rupert had left the building. 

Only Ripper remained.

Oggy sat up straight. “Sorry, Ripper,” he mumbled.

Joyce giggled again, only it was much more nervous sounding this time.

Giles cleared his throat. “It’s come to my attention that half of the duo that caused Buffy, and Spike, so much trouble in the past has passed on.”

“What?” Oggy looked confused.

Ceridwyn spoke up at that moment. “Yes, Angel is dead, and his soul has passed on.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Joyce looked around at the other adults.

“It is.” Giles nodded. “It means that Drusilla is alone now. I think it’s time to strike against her.”

The library doors opened, and Sam Zabuto strolled in. “You called a meeting without me?”

Giles had a sheepish look on his face. “I forgot you were in town. Besides, I’m about to outline a plan to take out an infamous vampire ourselves instead of relying solely on the Slayers.”

“Which vampire is that?” Zabuto asked in curiosity. 

“Drusilla.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Klempt cleared his throat before he raised his hand. He quelled beneath Ysped’s gaze, but he spoke anyway. “I know a super duper portal site. It’s to this really scary dimension called Quoroatoatha.”

Everyone stared at Klempt with confused looks on their faces.

“I think he means Quor’Toth,” Ty said after a few minutes of silence. “I thought that portal was closed up centuries ago. It was one of the few good things Her Majesty did during her reign.”

“It was, but you know that Wolfram and Hart has been meddling in things that are none of their business,” Brian grumbled. “Stupid fuckers.”

“What’s Quor’Toth?” Cordelia asked.

Brian turned to look at Cordelia. “It’s a Hell dimension. One of the worst ones in existence, and near impossible to escape from. Anyone who does manage to get out is changed in fundamental ways.”

Cordelia nodded in understanding. “So, we have to lure Wolfram and Hart through that portal. I doubt they’ll go willingly.”

“I agree,” Ty replied. “I’m just not sure how we’ll lure them to pass from here to there.”

“There’s always ‘The Ritual’.” Sir Brian made quote marks in the air when he said the words ‘The Ritual’.

Ysped hissed. “Last time someone did that, things went terribly wrong.”

“Not that ritual, the other one.”

“Like that one is any better,” Ty scoffed.

Cordelia looked back and forth between Sir Brian and Ty. “Will someone please fill the newcomer to this dimension in on what you’re going on about?”

“There are too many damned rituals,” Sir Brian muttered. He turned to Cordelia. “Your Majesty, I’m speaking of two rituals, frightfully similar, but with opposing results.” He gestured towards Klempt. “His kind isn’t native to this dimension.”

Ysped hissed. “No, he isn’t. Queen Ythe’s advisors were not the sharpest of people. They screwed up an attempt to rid us of Wolfram and Hart during her reign. Instead we were inundated with demons.”

“It won’t fail a second time,” Ty growled. “All we need is a powerful magic user to help us.” 

“That’s easy enough to fix,” Ysped said. She uttered a few words under her breath. There was a loud bang that made everyone jump, followed by a cloud of smoke. 

When the smoke cleared, there stood a young human woman with long brown hair. She glanced around the room until she saw Cordelia. “Uh, hey, Cordelia,” she said with a confused wave.

“Amy Madison?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ripper and his band of warriors stood outside the abandoned factory where their foe cowered like a coward.

“Are you sure this will work?” Joyce asked. 

Ripper looked up at the clear, bright blue sky. “Our quarry cannot escape our wrath,” he stated.

Oggy snorted. He’d forgotten how much Ripper liked the role play. He wondered which character his old friend was emulating at that moment.

“Let’s get this over,” Anyanka grumbled. She tightened her grip on the baseball bat she carried. 

“What about the minions?” Zabuto asked.

Dalton stepped out of the nearby shadows. “They’re gone. They’ve all abandoned Drusilla with the exception of her newest childe.”

Ceridwyn peered past Dalton into the darker shadows. “Who is that with you?”

Dalton looked over his shoulder. “That’s Silver.”

Another man stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in casual clothes, as if he was just out for a leisurely stroll. It was the shotgun that he cradled that told a different story.

Ceridwyn licked her lips when she saw Silver.

“What’s the plan?” Silver asked.

Ripper smirked. “We’re going to burn them out.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Is your mom out on a date with Oggy?” Willow asked. The Scooby gang was hanging out at Buffy’s house.

“Well, she’s out with Oggy, but I don’t think they’re on a date,” Buffy replied with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to go chase Drusilla out of town.”

Kendra frowned. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I suppose.” Buffy bit her bottom lip. She turned to Spike. “Should we go check up on them?”

“Let them have their fun, Slayer,” Spike said. “Dru’s a wily old thing. I doubt they’ll do much to her. Besides, I sent Dalton and his new playmate out to join them.”

Xander gave Spike a confused look. “New playmate?”

“He’s a werewolf hunter,” Buffy said. She noticed the horrified look on Oz’s face. “Don’t worry,” she assured the werewolf. “He has a clear and definite code.” Buffy stumbled to a stop and coughed long and hard.

“You don’t sound good,” Willow said in a worried voice. 

Buffy paled, and she coughed again.

Willow went to her friend’s side. “Buffy, you’re burning up. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“I’ll be fine. The Slayer healing will kick in and I’ll be all better.” Buffy ended up coughing again. When she fainted, her friends rushed her to the hospital despite her protests.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26

“I don’t like hospitals,” Buffy moaned, her voice groggy with fever. She pulled at the I.V. attached to her arm. “I want to go home.”

“You need to stay in bed, Buffy.” Joyce got to her feet, and she pulled Buffy’s hand away from the I.V. She gave her daughter a stern look. “Don’t make me go get Spike.”

Buffy fell back against the pillows while she pouted. “That’s not fair, mom.”

A doctor entered the room. She wore a white lab coat with a tag that read ‘Doctor Janna Wilkerson’. She held her hand out to Joyce. “Mrs. Summers, you have a very sick young woman here, but we’ve put her on a saline solution and intravenous antibiotic. She should be able to go home very soon.”

“Buffy doesn’t get sick very often, but when she does, it’s always worse than everyone else,” Joyce said.

“Well, she’s not the first person to be admitted with these symptoms,” Dr. Wilkerson added. “Once we get her hydrated, she’ll be on the road to recovery.”

Buffy grabbed Joyce’s arm. “Mommy, you won’t let the monster get me, will you? It killed Celia.”

“She may have some hallucinations until the fever is down. It’s nothing to worry about unless she tries to hurt herself.” Wilkerson picked up Buffy’s chart, and she made a notation.

After the doctor left, Buffy looked at Joyce. “It wasn’t a hallucination. I know what I saw.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Giles looked over at Spike. He noticed the disturbed look on the vampire’s face. “What?” the Watcher asked.

Spike shook his head. “This place is givin’ me some bad vibes, Rupes. Really bad vibes. I don’t think I like the thought of Buffy stayin’ overnight in this place.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s something here.” Spike not so subtly sniffed the air. “It reeks of death.”

“It’s a hospital,” Giles replied.

“This is different. Yes, it smells like the dead, but what I smell has power.” Spike stood up. “Power and death.” 

Xander, Kendra, Willow, and Oz spilled into the room with carriers of coffee and soda. 

“Any news on Buffy?” Willow asked.

Giles shook his head. “No, Spike and I are going to have a look around. He thinks something is off here in the hospital.”

“I’ll go with you,” Oz replied. He squeezed Willow’s hand before he joined Giles and Spike at the door.

The three men left the waiting room. Giles and Oz followed Spike when he turned left at the first intersection of hallways.

“So, you burned the factory to the ground,” Spike said. “I know that Dru died. I felt it, but I was too worried about Buffy to care.”

“She was a threat to Buffy,” Giles replied. 

Spike nodded. “There are too many threats to Buffy. I will endeavor to eliminate all of them I can.” He looked over at Giles. “There have been too many lifetimes where I failed her. I won’t fail her again.”

“I know.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cordelia and Amy sat across from each other. Between them, a feast covered the table. Ysped gorged herself on meat. Brian and Ty sat further down the table with Groo and Klempt, giving the newly crowned queen and the witch privacy to talk with the small dragon.

“So, you need me to help do a ritual to get rid of a law firm that got sucked into this dimension?” Amy asked.

“Yes,” Ysped belched out the word. She patted her stuffed stomach. “Wolfram and Hart need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.”

“Okay,” Amy said with a shrug. “Sounds like a plan. What do we need to do first?”

Cordelia reached over for a scoop of pudding. “We have to lure them to a portal opening that we shove them through.”

“That’s part of the ritual.” Ysped yawned before she cuddled up to a roasted chicken, and she fell asleep.

Cordelia turned towards the men. “Hey, can you guys gather all the stuff we need for the ritual? I think Amy and I need a spa day.”

“Uh, sure,” Sir Brian said with a wave. He turned back to Ty. “What’s a spa day?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Anne crawled out of the factory rubble. She was free from Drusilla’s control.

Finally!

Anne could go anywhere now without her Maker’s insane plans and babbling. She could finally shed both of her former names. She’d never have to be called ‘Lily’ or ‘Chanterelle’ ever again. Anne was free.

Free!

Free at last!

Anne didn’t have time to acknowledge the presence behind her. Her eyes widened with shock when she felt the stake enter her flesh. Anne opened her mouth to scream, but she crumbled to dust before any sound left her lips.

“That’s the last of them,” Silver said to his companions.

Dalton watched the breeze blow the vampire dust back into the still burning embers of the torched building. In the distance, the fire truck sirens blared.

Ceridwyn’s vengeful heart finally felt complete. The last of the people that had wronged her daughter were gone. With Liam’s final death, his soul finally reached Heaven. When Cordelia Chase -where ever she was now – died, Cilla’s soul would depart at last. Ceridwyn wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself after all this time.

Anyanka sighed. “This is getting boring. I’m hungry. Can we go eat?”

Brenna had left when the call came about Buffy’s trip to the hospital. She needed to get back to her husband and wives anyway. 

“I’m going to go check in with Joyce,” Oggy replied. “I’m sure she’s quite worried about Buffy.” He made his farewells before he strolled off to his car. The others moved far enough away from the burning factory to not be noticed by the incoming emergency crews.

“Okay, but I’m still hungry. Pizza or Chinese?” Anyanka asked. “Then, I’ll find Rupert for some orgasms.”

“You have a two track mind, Anyanka,” Ceridwyn said with a laugh.

Dalton laid a hand on Anyanka’s arm. “Why don’t we get both pizza and Chinese food? Then, we can go over to the hospital. I need to check in with Master Spike.”

“We can do that?” Anyanka brightened with anticipation of seeing Giles again.

“Of course,” Dalton replied. Then, he and Anyanka departed together, leaving Silver and Ceridwyn alone.

The hunter and vengeance demon watched the burning buildings and the firemen working on putting them out. Silver turned to Ceridwyn. “So, you want to go out for dinner with me?”

“Somewhere nice?”

“I always take my dates out to nice places,” Silver said. 

Ceridwyn studied Silver for a few minutes. He was a ruggedly handsome man with bright blue eyes. His short hair was dark brown, but his cropped beard was streaked with grey. “You do know that I’m not human?” she asked.

“I know.” Silver shrugged. 

“Well, then, I’d be happy to go out to dinner with you.”


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27

“I come bearing gifts,” Willow peeked around the corner into the living room where Buffy was propped up on the couch. “And news.” 

“Finally. Soap operas are so boring.” Buffy turned the television off, and she flung the remote down at her feet. 

“So, which do you want first? The gifts or the news?” Willow stepped into the room with her hands behind her back to hide the bag of donuts from Brenna’s husband Hassib.

“Gifts.” Buffy grinned at Willow. “I do love me some gifts.”

Willow presented the bag of delightful deep-fried goodies to her friend. “Brenna sent you over the monthly special from Hassib’s Donut Heaven. They’re chocolate glazed chocolate banana donuts.”

“That man should be given a sainthood.” Buffy opened the bag, and she stuck her nose inside to give a deep inhale. “So delish.”

“Now on to the news.” Willow sat down in an armchair. “Tucker Wells went crazy, and he shot Jonathan Levinson. Tucker said that it wasn’t him. That it was a ghost that took over his body or something. He was sent down to Rocky Point for a psych consult.”

“Wow, things were hectic while I was sick,” Buffy said before she pulled a donut out of the bag. She offered the bag to Willow.

“No, thanks.” Willow shook her head. “Things were very hectic. Principal Palmetto saved the swim team from turning into fish monsters. She and Mr. Pierson caught the coach giving the team fish steroid-filled steam room sessions. He wanted to win at any cost.”

“Dang, that’s just kinda creepy.” Buffy scrunched up her nose. “And kinda icky. Anything else happening?”

“Mr. Chase offered $100,000 for anyone who can give information on Cordelia. That’s about it.”

“I wonder where Cordelia got off to. Hope she’s having a good time,” Buffy laughed. “Too bad she’s missing these donuts. They’re pretty darned awesome.”

“They are,” Willow agreed.

“It’s kinda wiggy this year. There isn’t an apocalypse to deal with.”

Willow shrugged. “Maybe it’s some other dimensions turn for an apocalypse and some other hero is solving it.” She suddenly giggled. “Maybe Cordelia is solving the apocalypse.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The ritual circle was set and ready to go. Amy went over the spell again. She wanted to make sure she got it right. She looked over at Sir Brian and Ty. Amy was quite certain she wanted to stay here in Pylea. Things were just getting interesting.

Amy went to Ysped. “I need you to stand at the top of the star. Sir Brian and Ty stand at the top two points with Cordelia and Groo at the bottom two points. I need to stand in the middle.”

Everyone took their places. Amy glided into the middle of the ritual circle, and she raised her hands in the air. She started to recite the incantation to remove Wolfram and Hart from Pylea.

Amy’s voice rose, gaining more power and becoming louder. The portal to Quor’Toth swirled bigger and noisier. Cordelia and Amy’s hair swirled around their faces as the wind started to whip everything in the vicinity around.

Klempt let out a scream. Those inside the circle, with the exception of Amy, turned their heads to be just in time to see Klempt be pulled into the portal. He screamed again, words this time, but they were too distorted to be understood.

It didn’t take long for more of Klempt’s species to transport in and be swept away into the portal. By the looks on the demons’ faces, it was easy to see how startled they all were. None of them were exempt, not even the children. One poor demon had his body sucked right out from under his head. The head tumbled to the ground with a disgruntled grunt.

“Get back here,” he screamed at his body. “Where do you think you’re going?” The head started to roll towards the portal complaining every inch of the way. In a matter of minutes, it was swept away as well.

Everyone in the ritual circle ducked, even Amy, when the Wolfram and Hart buildings appeared. They were sucked in even faster than the demons.

“That’s the last of them,” Ysped shouted. “Close it up tight, witch.”

Amy shouted one last word, and with a dramatic sweep of her arms, the portal swished shut. The quiet was almost deafening.

Cordelia attempted to pat her hair down. “Well, that was a thing.”

Sir Brian let out a happy shout, and he did a ridiculous looking victory dance that made Ty snort and roll his eyes. “Back to the castle for a victory feast,” Brian announced. “I’m hungry enough to eat a dragon.”

Ysped hissed at Sir Brian.

“Not a little dragon like you, Ysped.” Sir Brian hid behind Ty when Ysped advanced on him. “A big dragon, like that one hiding over in Titan Peak. He’s as big as the castle.”

“Dragons don’t taste very good,” Ysped announced.

Amy leaned over to Cordelia. “Guess they don’t taste like chicken.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Epilogue

Halfrek popped in for Anyanka's engagement party. She couldn't believe Anya was marrying such a puny human. The human wasn’t even a handsome young stud. He was old and … old. Halfrek wrinkled her nose. There were so many good looking fuckable men in the world. Anyanka was an idiot.

The party was going full swing. Halfrek moved to the punch table only bump into a bleached blonde... vampire. Hmmm, this party might be interesting after all. When he turned and looked at her, she couldn’t contain her gasp of surprise. A pair of very familiar blue eyes looked at her. Only now there were no spectacles perched on his nose.

"William, it certainly has been a long time since I have seen you. I didn't realize you were turned."

"Do I know you?" asked Spike

"Oh sorry, let me change my face here.” Halfrek changed from her demonic face to her human one. “Do you recognize me now?" 

Spike arched an eyebrow before he moved off to where a blonde woman was sitting. He eased onto the arm of the chair, and she looked up at him giving him an enchanting warmth-filled smile.

"Lizzie, look who has dropped in for a visit," he said, indicating the vengeance demon. 

All heads turned in sync to study the dark hair woman.

"Cecily...." Lizzie said.

"My name is Halfrek now or Hallie if you like." Halfrek had no idea what was going on.

Lizzie nodded. "My name is Buffy now or The Slayer if you like."

"William called you Lizzie. Is that you, Lizzie?" asked Hallie as she moved forward. She peered into the Slayer’s face. “It is you. Wow, long time no see, little sis.”

 

"Yes, it's me.” Buffy nodded with a shark-like smile. “Oh, and William goes by Spike now. And he is mine. He’s always been mine; we just didn’t know it last time around.”

Halfrek watched in wonder as Lizzie led William away from her with a possessive hand on his sleeve. She had no idea what was going on, and it seemed like very few people were inclined to help her. Even Anyanka was too besotted with her human to notice Halfrek’s confusion.

“Halfrek, I didn’t know you were going to show up.” Ceridwyn glided over with a mimosa in her hand. “I thought for sure you’d be stuck helping out those orphans in Timbuktu.”

Halfrek let out a disdainful sniff. “It was in Zimbabwe.”

“Eh, I had the right continent.” Ceridwyn took a drink of her mimosa. “If you cause any trouble for Buffy and Spike, I will make your life so miserable that you’ll wish you’ve never been born.”

“Why would you even care?”

“Because Buffy was my daughter and the reason I became a vengeance demon. She’s finally got her happiness. I’ll be damned if I let you destroy that.” Ceridwyn wandered off to join Anya and two older humans.

“Justice Demon. I keep telling you all that it’s justice demon,” Halfrek grumbled under her breath.

It was then that Halfrek noticed that half the room was eyeing her like she was a threat, which she was. Damn it! She was a scary, vicious demon. She pulled her demonic visage forward to glare at the humans. Halfrek didn’t get the reaction she was expecting.

None of the humans were scared of her.

No one ran away screaming in terror.

This was going to be a boring party. Boring, boring, boring! Halfrek decided that she and Anyanka weren’t that close anymore. There were other more exciting places to be. She grabbed a drink before she popped away.

If Halfrek had just stuck around a few more minutes, she would have been there when Cordelia, Groo, Ysped, Sir Brian, and Ty fell out of a portal at Buffy’s feet.

But, that’s not part of this story.

The End.


End file.
